Coworker rats out other employees by spying on their online activities: 'I'm drafting an email to HR'

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Mar 6, 2026 5:00 PM EST

This employee couldn't believe what her coworker's "hobby" entailed… And people are urging them to keep the knowledge to themselves. 

You don't always know which coworkers you can trust, and which ones are ruthlessly plotting on your downfall. It's a trial-and-error type deal. You don't want to seem standoffish and avoid socializing with other people, but you're also supposed to keep your personal life guarded. 

There's a lot of peace in not having any of your coworkers or bosses as your friends online. But this person never considered that someone would be snooping on a different type of social media altogether. 

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  • Coworker spies on man who's smiling at his phone screen.
    via Getty Images

    Coworker spies on man who's smiling at his phone screen.

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • Coworker pays for LinkedIn to rat out people in the company applying elsewhere

    Boss teams calls me first thing after clocking in and tells me to close my door.
    via tybrand
  • She says "Don't worry you're not fired lol", as if that's funny. She then begins to tell me there is someone in the company that is not HR, that pays for a LinkedIn subscription and determined that I updated my work experience and may be looking for new employment.
    via tybrand
  • "Are you happy here?" I say "Yea but to be frank, this is upsetting. Hr monitors Linkedln activities of its employees?
    via tybrand
  • She says "well this person is not in HR, it's more of like a hobby...weird right?" She then doubles down on why I was updating my profile.
    via tybrand
  • Mind you I have her added so she has seen and commented on the certification I added as I was proud of it.
    via tybrand
  • I remind her of that conversation. "Oh that's right. Well I just wanted to check in, ya know?" I politely portray how it seems malicious for a person to go out of their way to discuss socal media activities with other people's superiors.
    via tybrand
  • I'm drafting an email to HR. I am playing the angle of 'an employee is posing as a recruiter and is using a misusing a paid license to track my social media activity for non business reasons'.
    via tybrand
  • NWhat do yall think the best move here ES is
    via tybrand

  • People came in hot with their finest pearls of wisdom

    botella36 I would assume every single HR department of medium and big sized companies has a premium LinkedIN account. Keep that in mind when posting. EDIT, this comment is getting a lot of views. I don't really know if the premium account makes a difference from the perspective of HR ability to monitor employees,
    via a

    I'll be so real with y'all right now: I had never considered this. I didn't know people were out here paying for an otherwise free service! After browsing the pricing chart page, it seems that one could pay for the premium service if they wanted to monitor who was looking at the company page, find good candidates to hire, and add in testimonials from other people. I suppose all that is useful. 

  • This employee confirms that they do have a premium account...

    tybrand Original Poster's Reply They do. We have a company recruiter on LinkedIn. There are also some precautions LinkedIn has enabled to prevent your company from seeing your applying elsewhere. I only use it as a tool for recruiters to reach out to me but wasn't expecting someone to buy a $170 premium license to become a recruiter/ private detective
    via tybrand

    But still, the fact that a coworker is paying that much money just to snoop is concerning. 

  • Fine advice!

    Infamous-Zebra-359 The fact that your boss even had this meeting with you tells you that you work in a ridiculous company with ridiculous people HR can't be trusted to be any less ridiculous Deactivate your LinkedIn profile and lock down all of your social media they can't poke at what they can't see
    via Infamous-Zebra-359
  • tybrand Original Poster's Reply This is the way
    via tybrand

  • A lot of folks --- basically everyone --- warned against contacting HR

    damutecebu It's her. And I wouldn't contact HR at all.
    via damutecebu

    If I was this person, I would maybe make HR aware of it after I already had a new gig lined up! Because they would probably fire any employee who was openly job-seeking and including them in that process. 

  • Her behavior is anti-social and creepy, but I don't think HR could actually stop her

    tybrand Original Poster's Reply Maybe right. If it is her, I'm sure that would be quite the conversation for her to discuss in an investigation
    via tybrand

    If she used her own money, she could claim she's using it for some important purpose. The "spying" could just be a side effect. 

    I'd maybe just make it known to the general office population that this woman is creeping. But wait until that next job is securely in the bag before doing so! 

  • darkhorsehance If you are in the US, the company, and likely her, are well within their rights to have a recruiter account to check on their employees social media, assuming they aren't. hacking your account or demanding your password. You have no expectation of privacy online for any information you make public, that includes whether or not you are open to work.
    via darkhorsehance
  • tybrand Original Poster's Reply Well put. It seems like the unanimous feedback here is too just let it slide, learn from it and move on elsewhere
    via tybrand
  • Francis_Dollar_Hide "I'm drafting an email to HR." This will not go well, keep your head down, turn your updates off on Linkedin. find a new role elsewhere.
    via Francis_Dollar_Hide
  • tybrand Original Poster's Reply Heard and thank you for the advice
    via tybrand
  • GroundbreakingLaw149 I only think it's weird that someone would see a profile update and then check-in to see if you were happy at your job, if they weren't checking-in with you to know that at other times. Do they not ask you any questions during your review? I also think your supervisor is weird and I can see why you'd want to look elsewhere. If I were you, I'd leave it alone. I can't imagine HR will be in your corner on this one, even if they get your concern. I also avoid any confrontation a
    via GroundbreakingLaw149
  • tybrand Original Poster's Reply The review was mainly just like "here are the metrics" "did anything surprise you?" "Sorry can't you give you more $$ than this but at least it's something". But to your question, It was a little out of the blue to say "how you like it here?" Probably weirder that we prefaced it with the knowledge of an unpaid informant
    via tybrand
  • youknowimright25 Ok. And what exactly do you want hr to do about it?
    via youknowimright25

    This is the big question at the end of the day! I hope this person 1) finds another job and 2) updates us on what happens. The tea is hot! Confront that coworker and tell HR about the whole thing on your way out the door. 

  • Man accuses his coworker of spying on him on LinkedIn, while she denies the accusation.
    via Getty Images

    Man accuses his coworker of spying on him on LinkedIn, while she denies the accusation.

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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