Professional Standards and LinkedIn Protocol: Lessons from the German Embassy
Zandra Gonzalez, PR Manager, was fired after 25 years at the German Embassy. While it was great to have her as a colleague, professionally she was not up to standards, even after such a long career.
PR Managers arrange events and plan details to present another person or case; the news should mention people relevant to the event and the audience, but not the PR Manager. It destroys the illusion. You hire a wedding planner, but you don’t want her at the wedding telling everyone that it is her work and her idea.
LinkedIn vs. Facebook: Content-Centric vs. People-Centric Standards
LinkedIn is not Facebook. LinkedIn is professional, relevant, and must be kept updated. Facebook is people-centric (the “who”), while LinkedIn is content-centric (the “what”). On LinkedIn, the “who” only matters because of the value they bring to the “what.” It is a marketplace of ideas and professional authority, not a digital backyard.
The Embassy is required to maintain a staff register of sorts. LinkedIn serves this purpose if it is kept updated. LinkedIn should “ping” users to update or confirm their current company.
Linking oneself to a company without having worked there is a violation of platform rules. Linking a profile to a state authority, the military, or similar entities constitutes a crime. Why would anyone do that if not to mislead or deceive?
Employees of the Embassy have no general permission to engage in other work or employment. If someone has such permission, they must not show it in the context of the German Embassy. The translation services the Embassy requires and your private services must be completely separated.
Key Compliance Protocols for Business Profiles
- Activate Company Verification on the Business Profile.
- Verify Legitimate Access: To join the profile, a user must verify their credentials.
- Authorized Methods: Accessing LinkedIn from a company PC, using a company email, or securing admin approval.
- Internal Governance: The internal guidelines and handbook on social media usage are a must-read.
Preguntas Frecuentes (FAQ)
Facebook is people-centric focusing on personal networks, whereas LinkedIn is content-centric, serving as a marketplace for professional authority, ideas, and verified career history.
Verifying institutional association prevents unauthorized affiliations, misrepresentation, and security breaches involving state authorities or diplomatic entities.