The Price for Bashing the Boss

Employers used to tolerate employees’ complaints about the company, as long as they didn’t publicly broadcast them. But these days, employees are increasingly taking their complaints public, and some bosses are saying, “Enough.”

Last month, an automaker fired a manager for insulting its CEO on social media. A tech firm recently sacked a score of employees for sharing with journalists information it says was confidential. A few months before that, another firm fired dozens of workers for protesting the company’s business dealings with the military. Some experts say bosses have been embarrassed, either for themselves or their firms, into taking action. “It’s a bit of ignorance or not reading the room on the employee’s part,” says Tamara Rodman, a Korn Ferry senior client partner in the firm’s Culture, Change and Communications practice.

Some experts view these measures as indicative of a more top-down, directive leadership approach: These bosses are being blunter and demanding more productivity, while also showing less tolerance for dissent. Their management style is running headfirst into employees’ growing empowerment to speak out publicly, whether about problems at their workplace, their indifference to a job that doesn’t engage them, or both. 

Experts say that employees today—in particular, younger ones—have far fewer qualms than their predecessors did about keeping their work-related issues quiet. For instance, talking about compensation—even with close associates—is no longer taboo. A 2022 survey found that 42% of Gen Zers and 40% of millennials have discussed their pay with a colleague or professional contact. This assertiveness shows up even in how employees talk to their boss. 

Openly questioning the boss’s policies has perhaps been the most public expression of modern employee empowerment. Some workers use internal message boards to criticize raises. Others take to third-party review sites such as Glassdoor to complain about office policies. A few grill the boss in person at meetings (and then share the conversation on social media). For some employees, it’s only natural to take work-related complaints to social media, because they so often use it to share detailed information on their personal life. “I sometimes feel like we need to have college-credit courses on creating boundaries between social-media life and professional life,” says Dennis Deans, Korn Ferry’s vice president for global human resources.

This doesn’t even account for a leader’s actual mistakes. Any misstep—in a meeting, in a memo, even in a casual hallway conversation—can create havoc. “The moment you sneeze, somebody knows about it,” says Ellie Filler, managing partner of Korn Ferry’s EMEA Human Resources practice. 

Experts say leaders should remind employees routinely (perhaps once a year) of what should or shouldn’t talked outside the office, as well of the consequences of breaking these rules. Leaders also should understand that appearing overly punitive could damage the firm’s reputation among existing employees, job seekers, and even customers.  

As for workers, experts say they should think twice about talking publicly about their issues at work. “Remember, you are a representative of your company. Think about everything through that lens,” Rodman says. Workers also should be aware that their private communications can be monitored if they’re sent via a company phone or computer.

Learn more about Korn Ferry’s Employee Experience capabilities.

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