At Harvard Business School, a batchmate of mine shared an unusual visa experience.
His US visa was approved but not issued. The consular officer noted that his social media handles were private and asked him to make them public during scrutiny. His Indian passport was returned immediately, and he was told to check the website in two to three days.
He walked out of the consulate and made his handles public. His visa came through within three days. I followed the same advice, and my own process was smooth.
I thought of this when I read about Hamam al-Hammami, the Omani co-pilot who attacked the Indian-origin captain of the flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv last week and tried to seize the controls.
The UAE has called it an attempted terrorist attack. Al-Hammami had reportedly been barred from flying with his own country's airline over extremist concerns, and his Instagram account was deleted on the day of the flight.
That raises an uncomfortable question.
Should employers be allowed to look into the social lives of their people, especially pilots, crew and government employees who cross borders for work? The line is thin.
How much policing is too much, and who does it?
My own approach to social media is simple. A LinkedIn connection of mine persistently posted anti-Modi content. I disconnect from people who cross the limits of decency, but never from someone merely because their political or religious views differ from mine.
Vulgarity and hatred, however, get you removed from my list.
Can an employer apply that standard to an entire workforce? In my own organisation, people of every faith and political ideology are welcome.
Other employers see it differently, and that is their call. But controversies like the allegations that surfaced at TCS Pune earlier this year might have been handled better with clear social media guidelines.
As EVP at one of the world's largest media organisations, I helped write such guidelines with our HR consulting partner. A breach could lead to termination.
Employees were never told to stay silent. They could express views, follow film stars and politicians, and share posts. They simply could not turn a disagreement into an altercation or cross into extremism. It worked.
Airlines carry millions of passengers daily, who trust the airline, the crew and the pilots with their families' lives. A pilot with extremist leanings is not a private matter. It is a public safety risk.
Airlines should adopt clear social media guidelines, with transparency about what is monitored and why. Clear rules protect the honest employee as much as the passenger.
The aim is not surveillance, but trust.
