Ed Hones is an employment attorney in Seattle, Washington, and he is not only discouraging coworkers from thinking of each other as friends, but also sharing what texts people should never send their colleagues.<\/a> As an employment lawyer, Hones sees the legal fallout of the lines between friends and coworkers being blurred. Though he isn\u2019t saying people can\u2019t text their coworkers, he lists four specific types of texts to never send in case of a lawsuit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI see great cases destroyed every single day from one thing: old text messages,\u201d Hones reveals. \u201cYou might think that your text thread with your coworker is a safe space to vent, joke, or even scheme, but let me be clear about this one thing: it is not. In the eyes of the law, those text messages are evidence, and if you ever have to sue your employer for something, defense attorneys will find a way to get those text messages and destroy your credibility and tank your case.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, no one plans to sue their employer or to have their employer sue them, but sometimes things happen that result in lawsuits. Once a lawsuit is filed, discovery often follows, which means phone records and other device communications can be requested. If you\u2019ve been trash-talking your boss or making egregious claims, you may be stuck having to explain it in court. But avoid sending these four texts, and you won\u2019t have to worry about your employer finding something to use against you in a lawsuit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hones explains that this often happens in the form of asking someone to clock you in or initial a form they forgot to complete. It may be something you think everyone does every once in a while at their place of employment, but sending a text message is documenting the request. Explicitly asking a coworker to break this employment policy can result in termination being justified. The employment attorney implores people to avoid doing it completely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHere is the scenario,\u201d Hones says. \u201cA coworker or supervisor texts you something inappropriate. Maybe it\u2019s a dirty joke or a comment about your private life, or medical condition. It makes you uncomfortable, but you have to see this person at the office tomorrow, and you don\u2019t want to make it awkward, so you reply with an LOL, laughing emoji, or a thumbs up. But if you send that text, you\u2019re walking into a legal trap called \u201cThe Unwelcome Standard.\u2019\u201d This means that if this behavior turns into harassment or creates a hostile environment, legally, it can be seen as being acceptable due to responses to inappropriate texts in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s not uncommon for frustration to boil over and result in someone declaring they\u2019re going to start looking for a new job. Not every text or annoyed utterance about needing to find different employment is serious. Sometimes it is about blowing off steam, but other times it\u2019s truthful. Hones says not to let your employer be the one to decipher the difference in a court of law, because it may not work out in your favor. It could reduce an employee\u2019s lost wages claims, eliminate the ability to claim work conditions that resulted in an abrupt resignation, and even result in the company pushing an employee out if the text is revealed before they resign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe all need to vent, but doing it via text message hands the employer the perfect cover story,\u201d says Hones. This comes into play when an employee sues for discrimination or wrongful termination. According to the employment lawyer, if an employee sues for one of those reasons, the burden shifts to the employer to prove they didn\u2019t fire the employee for an illegal reason. If the employer discovers the negative texts about them, then it could give legitimacy to their claims if they have lied about the reasons someone was terminated. Hones says it\u2019s common for employers to lie in these cases by saying the employee was disrespectful or a bad employee, and texts trash-talking the boss would strengthen their argument.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"employee;](\"https:\/\/www.upworthy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/origin_c95981.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n1. Asking a coworker to bend the rules<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"employee;](\"https:\/\/www.upworthy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/origin_432de5.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n2. Awkwardly acknowledging something inappropriate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
3. Texting about job hunting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
4. Talking trash about your boss or company<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"employee;](\"https:\/\/www.upworthy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/origin_9f90b5.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n