Remember the old saying, “sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me?” This may work at the schoolyard, but not for conversations with your boss. Now, we’ve all thought about snapping back at our managers… sometimes we mutter obscenities under our breath, or blow off steam at the pub trying out our best drunken bossy impressions. Occasionally the brave and/or brash among us have the audacity to lash out verbally directly at our bosses in their presence. But if you happen to work in India, be warned: calling your boss names is now legitimate grounds for becoming an ex-employee. The Bombay High Court decided it was OK to fire a worker who had shouted at his boss and called him a thief in public. This overruled a lower court that had decided in favor of the employee, saying it was difficult to accept such heated statements literally. I assume this is along the same lines that telling your bratty brother “if you do that again, I’m going to kill you” shouldn’t get you arrested for attempted murder. But, for now let’s count ourselves lucky… the moment they make thinking bad thoughts about your boss illegal we’ll all be in trouble.
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