To think you don’t block new colleagues on LinkedIn?

[Everyoneisunreasonable]

I work in a global team, and my boss announced a new starter yesterday, based in San Francisco. So, I looked him up on LinkedIn, as you do, to see what his background was. But he wasn’t there, which is highly odd as our job involves a LOT of networking and LI is an important tool in that. I asked a colleague in San Diego if she could see him and she said she had been involved in interviewing him, and that she could.

I couldn’t think of any other explanation than he had blocked me, so I looked him up on my husband’s LI, and could see him. So, he had blocked me!

I asked another European colleague this morning if she could see him, and she couldn’t. So she had been blocked too. Neither of us have ever met this guy before, so it’s not like either of us had offended him! AIBU to think this is a massive red flag and the guy has something to hide? Does anyone have any potential reasons why someone might block new colleagues they haven’t even met? Never come across this behaviour before!

I’m going to ask him at some point, but I’ll wait until I’ve interacted with him a bit first.

LinkedIn is a form of social media, just a more work based one. It's still public and unless his contract says he must connect with all colleagues/must not block colleagues then he can block who he likes.

He can't exactly be trying to hide anything if he didn't blocked the person HIRING HIM can he?

Maybe he just doesn't like all and sundry in the office snooping

Are you a tiny company with a small number of employees and he's been provided with a full list of all of their names?

That sounds somewhat unlikely.
I'd suggest it might be something on his profile or your search settings that is meaning that you can't find him. You're searching on Location maybe?

Like I say, I don't use it, thought it was like cyber stalkng someone but if users agree it's normal to do this fair enough.

No, not connected. We are all connnected to >3000 people, in our job that level of connectivity is normal. It is not normal to block colleagues. We would also routinely use our LI to ‘like’ each other’s posts about the company to spread the reach, in fact that is requested of us. It is not like personal social media in my world, it’s for professional networking. It’s not Facebook.
It would be easy enough to look up who works in my company with my job title, plus our boss may have mentioned other team members across the world during the interview process.

But I'm very glad it's not a feature of my workplace by the sound of it!!

No, it’s a company with >3000 people but less than 10 with my job title. Would be easy enough to find the people in the same role.
No, it is not my search settings.

Yes was gonna say this. Maybe only his connections can see his full profile and if he hasn’t added you, he has stringent privacy settings. Seems more likely than blocking random people

I really wouldn't worry about it.

As i said - unless it is part of his contract then he doesnt have to connect with you. You are putting too much time an effort (asking other people to look for him/ searching for him in the first place/posting on a baby group for advice).

I'm sure he will Link-In with you and all will be ok.

Why would OP’s husband already be connected to a random new colleague of hers?! It’s so obvious when people on here don’t use LinkedIn (probably don’t even work tbh) 🤦🏻‍♀️

Is this what people have to do to keep jobs now? Sounds ghastly.

I think it's the OP that's being weird.

First of all linkedin is not that important, its social media. Who cares about it that much

I work in finance and I don't use LinkedIn at all, and neither do a lot of my colleagues.

The ones that do use it, tend do just put their current role. They put very few details of their employment history on it.

Who would want their whole employment history out in Public for everyone to see.

No one is forced to use linkedin.

You are also not entitled to view anyone else's linkedin, why on earth do you think that you are.

Also the level of depth that you went to try see his linkedin, is so strange.

Why do you care so much.

You went looking through your husbands account, you were getting another colleague to look at his linkedin account, it is so weird! What's wrong with you

All the colleagues that have sent messages have been blocked. No reason for them to be doing that.

I'm only going to talk to them about work, when I'm in work.

We would also routinely use our LI to ‘like’ each other’s posts about the company to spread the reach, in fact that is requested of us. This sounds like a nightmare. Why is 'social media intern facilitator' part of ALL your jobs? Why are you all also in the marketing department as well as your other roles?

It could be because they wanted too or could be sick of people coming up with wears conspiracy theories about it so think if the black people if gives something for people to wonder about

OP you sound totally bizarre.

Even if linkedin is part of your job, it's such a small thing.

In my company no one cares in the slightest about each others linkedins.

The way you're acting is so weird.

Youre not entitled to see anyone's linkedin.

And also why On earth would you care to that extent about some ones linkedin.

What if I said to you:

"I can't see a new hires linked in. He's in a different country to me.Ive never met him I'm absolutely raging. I got my colleague to check his linkedin. Then I got my husband to check his linkedin"

Do you see how crazy that sounds?

Because he has connected via work at another place?

And of course we don't work because we don't use LinkedIn 🙄

Funnily enough not every industry relies on LinkedIn.

Marketing is indeed part of our jobs.

To be fair to OP, it sounds like they have to do this as part of their job but I still find it weird that he's gone through 3000 employees and then randomly blocked a few

You are not entitled to see anyone elses Lknkedin.

Linkedin is not designed by your company.

It is its own separate social media and networking website.

Under GDPR rules, anyone can block whoever they want on linkedin.
They can set their profile as private as they want

Exactly

I think you'll be left wondering. If the mutual contact is a nightmare, there may well be a settlement agreement in place preventing your new colleague from speaking his truth. If that's the case, poor bloke. He's probably really anxious knowing that he's started a new job where there are people who know (and possibly like and support) someone who screwed him over.

PS Some of the other posts are clearly from people who have never had to use LinkedIn for work. I can loosely guess at what you do, and it's perfectly normal for people in that line of work to be required to do stuff on LinkedIn. It's a weird type of social media as it's sort of personal, mostly work related and some employers can try to impose unfair restrictions on your account when you leave. Opting out of LinkedIn simply isn't possible in some careers!

I only permit known people have access to my LI. If I am working with a team or taking part in interviews I ask for the name and give access.

It called being protective of your privacy and helps me avoid nosey parkers.

But even if your company uses linkedin, surely you wouldn't think that you are entitles to see every employees linkedin page?

OP works in a global company. This man is not even in the same country as her. He is in the USA!

I work in a big company.

I wouldn't expect to see Joe Alan in our London offices linkedinpage when I'm in birmingham.

People are also allowed to put privacy controls on their linkedin.

I always personally thought that linkedin was one of the worst social media sites .

I work in finance. I work closely with our fraud team.

I know it's very important to not put any identifiable information about ourselves on the Internet. You don't want scammers to target you.

People will put strict privacy controls on Facebook, twitter and Instagram so you can only see their name.

Yet on linkedin - they put their current workplace and all their previous workplaces.
They put so much information publicly on linkedin.

It's so dangerous.

What if you have a stalker?

Now he knows where you work