Managers, brace yourselves…
Calling the boss a d**khead is not, apparently, a sackable offence. At least not according to a UK tribunal, which just awarded an office manager almost £30,000 after she was fired on the spot for doing exactly that.
The judge decided it was a one-off comment, made in a heated meeting, and not serious enough to justify instant dismissal. What really sank the company? Failing to follow proper procedure.
Now, before you start compiling a list of “acceptable” workplace insults, let’s be clear. This is UK law, and the ruling doesn’t mean it’s wise to start name-calling your executives.
But there are lessons here for all of us, wherever we work:
• Leaders: due process matters. Skip it, and you risk reputational and financial damage.
• Assistants and office managers: the pressure in these roles is constant, and sometimes emotions spill over. That makes you human. The trick is finding ways to raise issues before they boil over.
• Everyone: workplaces are human places. Emotions flare, mistakes happen. What defines culture is how we deal with those moments fairly.
So yes, the headline may raise a laugh. But the bigger message is serious. Respect, process, and perspective should always come before knee-jerk reactions.
👉 Would you say one hot-headed comment should be career-ending? Or did this tribunal get it right?
