Many countries celebrate Data Privacy Day every year on and around January 28. The event's purpose is to increase global awareness of privacy and data protection issues.

A post that I recently published for Rate My Workday warned readers to maintain a clean, professional social media presence appropriate for potential employers. The article stressed that personal information published online, regardless of who published it or why, could result in the loss of a job or loss of prospects for job-seekers. But the article also cautioned that many employers now expect their employees to maintain an online social media profile for professional networking.

Another article published yesterday on The Official Microsoft Blog entitled "Put your Best Digital Foot Forward", has reinforced those warnings. The Microsoft article, written by Microsoft's Chief Privacy Officer Brendon Lynch, suggests maintaining separate online profiles for personal and professional use. It advocates the use of different user names, email addresses and websites to distinguish your two distinct online personas.

Both articles suggest that personal information having the potential to damage your online and real life reputation could be published by yourself, a friend, or a complete stranger, and that you should check for your personal information on a regular basis and have it removed if possible. The Microsoft article calls this "conducting a personal reputation report".

The Microsoft article includes a link to this infographic which was created by Microsoft for Data Privacy Day. Based on a study commissioned by Microsoft, the infographic states that 56% of adults don't think about the consequences of their online activity. At the same time, 14% of adults have actually experienced negative consequences due to their online activity, ranging from the loss of a job to being turned down for a mortgage.

Safely discussing work stress and work-related problems online

Many people (myself included) have co-workers or even their boss as Facebook friends. Even if you typically get along well with these people, stressful events at work can spark conflict and disagreement with them. Voicing your feelings about stress at work in the form of a Facebook update or a tweet on your public profiles could cause tension in the workplace or worse - a pink slip. Acknowledging your anger due to stress in the workplace is important, and addressing it is critical for your mental health. If you are having difficulty at work because of stress or anxiety, you can find safer places on the net to voice your anger and frustration without damaging your online reputation.

Rate My Workday is intended to be the online destination for people experiencing stress at work who want to do something constructive about it. The website is a safe haven for complaints and criticism of typical stressors in the workplace: companies, processes, bosses, co-workers, or clients. Visitors are invited to rant about their problem or share advice for others that are having work-related problems. Everyone at Rate My Workday is expected to keep their identities a secret, which fosters an environment of openness about the problems people have on the job without needlessly hurting other people's feelings.

The premise of the website is based on the art of journalling, which is traditionally performed alone. The goal is to help people feel better about their jobs and their lives by letting them sort out their anger and frustration in writing, sharing it with the group and commenting on each other's stories. Since everyone in the group is anonymous and willing to write how they really feel, you learn to know each visitor only by their stories and there is no fear of associating them or the people they talk about with actual people in the real world.

Here are some guidelines that help make Rate My Workday successful:

• Be anonymous. Use a nickname. Never identify yourself or the company you work for.
• Serious, be anonymous. Don't identify any of the people in your stories.
• Write how you really feel. If you need to use harsh language, that's okay. Don't worry if it doesn't make sense at first. Keep coming back and write more about it. Keep at it until you understand what's really making you angry. That's how journalling works.
• Don't use any employer-owned devices (eg. laptop, smartphone, etc) to visit Rate My Workday. Many employers monitor their employees' internet usage and visits to Rate My Workday on company time or equipment may raise some awkward questions. If you need to take company time to rant, use your personal smartphone - Rate My Workday is formatted to adapt to smartphone screens.
• Don't share links to the stories you write on Rate My Workday on public social media websites like Facebook or Twitter. That's why there are no social sharing widgets on your stories to make it easy for you to share. Write your stories at Rate My Workday and keep them there.
• Don't dwell too long on the negatives. Complaining helps you feel better, but obsessively dwelling on negative emotions will hurt you more. Write it down, make sense of it, and then move on.

An Invitation to Actively Cope with Stress at Work

There will always be stress at work, and many companies are implementing policies to reduce stress or at least help employees cope with stress when it happens. Along with a healthy lifestyle including physical fitness and a good diet, Rate My Workday is one additional tool that employees can utilize on their own time to help them personally cope with stress. Employers should recognize that employees who visit Rate My Workday to release their frustrations and manage stress are doing so in a responsible manner.

I'd like to extend an invitation to anyone who has experienced stress in the workplace to visit Rate My Workday on a regular basis to vent your feelings in a safe, secure and understanding environment. Spread the word online and let your friends know they can use Rate My Workday to keep stress from dominating their lives and to feel better about their work.