Caught between The Rock and a hard place: Dwayne Johnson’s social media mistake

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is a beloved Hollywood icon who usually doesn’t put his foot in his mouth. However, a recent social media post lands him on our Worst Communicator list.

On the set of “Fast and Furious 8,” tensions boiled over, and Johnson took to Instagram to vent his frustrations about some unnamed male co-workers:

“Some conduct themselves as stand up men and true professionals, while others don’t,” he shares. “The ones that don’t are too chicken s**t to do anything about it anyway. Candy a**es.” He goes on to add that his anger spilled over into the film: “When … it seems like I’m not acting in some of these scenes and my blood is legit boiling, you’re right.”

No doubt, frustrations can run high in the workplace, but Johnson broke some cardinal communication rules. While it’s quite possible that he confronted his co-workers directly, we don’t know that for sure. All we know is that he used Instagram to publicly—and passive-aggressively—shame them. Additionally, he curses, casts insults and admits to being unable to control his anger. The whole thing comes across as petty and immature.

The takeaway here? If a co-worker is making you so angry that your blood is “legit boiling,” don’t use passive-aggressive attacks or gossip to get the person to take a hint. Directly—but respectfully—tell the person how his or her actions are negatively affecting you. If the person doesn’t change, work with your boss and HR to resolve the problem.