Watch Your Mouth: Allstate Executive Fired for Talking Trash about Boss

No one has a perfect boss. You might feel your boss is incompetent or you might at any given time disagree strongly with a decision your boss has made. Some of us bite our tongues, confide and rant with a fellow co-worker who sympathizes, or take the chance of respectfully presenting your boss/employer with valid reasons behind the disagreement. But it is not smart to vulgarly rant about a boss in a bar, in front of many executives/co-workers, in the midst of a company event. The result could be you’re fired.  “Loose Lips Trip Up Good Hands Executive” by Erik Holm and Joann S. Lublin of WSJ.com report that Joseph Lacher, formerly of Allstate, was fired from the insurer for committing this ultimate workplace indiscretion.

Lacher was president of Allstate home and auto insurance units and on July 18 the company surprisingly reported his exit. Those familiar with the company were aware that Thomas J. Wilson, the chief executive, was not pleased with Lacher’s performance. But the article is reporting “several people familiar with the situation” are divulging that Lacher was fired for referring to his boss in a vulgar manner. The incident:

“[Lacher] was having drinks with some of Allstate’s top-selling insurance agents as part of a company event called the Leaders Forum…earlier in the day… Messrs. Lacher and Wilson unveiled plans to shrink Allstate’s sales force and change the way the insurer calculates commission.

Some agents were angry about the changes… Mr. Wilson, who wasn’t at the bar, was a popular target.

Then came the two words that helped end Mr. Lacher’s 20-month career at Allstate: ‘f—cking a—‘”

The article reports a slightly different account of what Lacher exactly said but it is sure that he did refer to his boss in a negative vulgar manner.  Following the night in the bar, “accounts of the incident rippled through the Leaders Forum the next day… eight weeks later, Mr. Lacher lost his job”. No one from Allstate gave any comment to WSJ.com article.

Regardless of your discontent with a boss or employer, you don’t express it with anger amongst multiple co-workers as your audience. Gossip travels fast in the workplace; the last thing you should ever want is to have your name mentioned, especially when it’s true. The worst part is when gossip is about talking badly about your boss.  If you want to keep your job, you must try your best to maintain respect and cordiality with and about your boss. And don’t get sidetracked by peer pressure. You might hear an employee mouth off and think you can do the same but be aware that you don’t know if this employee is one word away from being out the door and you don't know if you have the same standing with your boss as that employee. One last thing: you might conclude it’s worth getting fired just to relieve your anger on your boss but that stays on your record; you will find it hard to get another job when your history is getting fired for disrespect and insubordination.