swearing at work

NaeNae55

A few years ago I was at a seminar in NY and the speaker said he was just going to use the F word because you hear it everywhere you go anyway. I rarely hear it in public here. There are a few exceptions (like sports bars), but generally you do not hear swear words in public here.

I just read an article on swearing at work, and wondered how many of you find it is a problem, or just common? How is it where you work and live?

Paul in Cannon Beach

Its not a problem here but it would be "out of place" in our culture. I can envision some cultures where cussing is part of the camraderie. However, like jokes or teasing, I think the potential is always there for people to be offended.

Some words like "hell" or "damn" seem to have lost some of their "cuss". A boss that says "you did a hell of a job on that report, Nae" is probably in the clear.

The other thing that would concern me is that allowing cussing to go unchecked could lead to other verbal issues: racial epithets, sexist language, ect. I think its fair to say that cussing is generally not considered "professional" speech so by allowing it, an organization is lowering their overall standards of decorum.

cnghr

Swearing in public is pretty common here. I'm a frequent swearer myself, although I try to avoid it at work and I notice that most people at work do try very hard to keep it to a minimum. What I was muttering to myself in the confines of my office the other day when my computer wasn't working was a whole lot harsher than what any of my co-workers will ever hear me say out loud!

ACU Frank

Unless there's a contextual reason, any speaker who tells me ahead of time he's going to be dropping F-bombs has probably already lost me for his presentation.

Has Eddie Murphy hit the lecture circuit?

NaeNae55

[QUOTE=ACU Frank;717074]Unless there's a contextual reason, any speaker who tells me ahead of time he's going to be dropping F-bombs has probably already lost me for his presentation.

Has Eddie Murphy hit the lecture circuit?[/QUOTE]

I did have a small adjustment curve, but since he didn't drop the F bomb very often, and since I think his main reason was to push us out of our comfort zones, I was ok with it.

In the past few years I have only heard the bomb dropped in a store once (and it was the most frequent word of that person's vocabulary), and not at all in a business setting. OUTSIDE of my regional area (and in large cities) it has been a different matter.

The article made me wonder if we are that far behind the times (or perhaps it could be said we are that far ahead of the times), or if the writer was a little off the mark.

Paul in Cannon Beach

I agree with Frank. In my opinion its the same as announcing "I have no clue about people and the diversity of my audience so I am just going to be my idiot self and pretend its endearing."

KSR6450

So, he could have just stood up and said "Hi, my name is Paul and..."

I couldn't help it. Bad @#$%#@ day - someone has to pay.

We do have an ee who gets on the phone with his ex-wife and will curse - I have had to shut his door many times. It cost him money, everytime he was up for a review his boss wouldn't give him one because he didn't want to confront this issue. He finally talked to him about it and things calmed down. I love my job

plynnl

I am in a industry where we employ a lot of left brained, creative, laid back, and generally unusual personalities. It is not uncommon to hear a variety of swear words but for some reason it does not seem to offend anyone.

I think it would depend on the structure of the company whether it be conservative or more lenient in language and behavior.

Paul in Cannon Beach

Wasn't it VP Cheney who got in some hot water when he dropped the F bomb in Congress.

Ok, this post is a set up for ACU Frank to say we'd all be better off if Cheney was allowed to drop F bombs instead of real bombs.

I've been on this @#$@$ forum too long.

KSR6450

Frank would NEVER say something like that.

Ok, I just hurt myself from laughing too hard...

plynnl

I might tend to agree with Frank if he were to make that remark.
I would now insert an emoticon if I could find one.

Paul in Cannon Beach

plynnl, what happens when you click the "GO ADVANCED" button?

plynnl

I just hit "Go Advanced" and it looks no different that "Reply' or Quick Reply.

plynnl

After looking in "Edit Options" I found my problem. I had it on basic editing. Changed the format and now I get all the emoticons and even font and size stuff. Wow, what a difference.\:D/

Paul in Cannon Beach

Whoa... I just chose to "enhance" my "interface".
[IMG]http://ordsunshinepumpers.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/smiley-face-flat.jpg[/IMG]

plynnl

[FONT=Comic Sans MS]I need a bigger monitor to see it.[/FONT]

ACU Frank

I saw that giant smiley and I knew Paul had taken a job as a Walmart greeter.

I hope he cleans the restroom while he's there.

As far as Cheney goes, all I can say is... What a Dick!

:angel:

Sharon McKnight SPHR

[quote=ACU Frank;717093]I saw that giant smiley and I knew Paul had taken a job as a Walmart greeter.

I hope he cleans the restroom while he's there.

As far as Cheney goes, all I can say is... What a Dick!

:angel:[/quote]


Go, Frank!! **==

Paul in Cannon Beach

Do you see how allowing swearing has led to other undesirable and innappropriate comments?

[IMG]http://www.sfgate.com/blogs/images/sfgate/whalen/2009/05/19/churchlady.jpg[/IMG]

joannie

Paul, I didn't realize the church lady was your sister.:D

NaeNae55

That's because he usually keeps his twin under wraps.

Dutch2

I work in an old and very conservative bank and swear words are not a problem for us. We even have it in our handbook: As our Core Values state, “Our reputation is our most valuable asset. We will preserve and enhance this asset.” “We must make certain that not just our physical actions but also our verbal actions are exemplary. Our language must not be offensive to our customers or co-workers. We must be ever mindful not to offend our customers and/or co-workers by making derogatory comments, telling off color jokes, using profanity, etc.” There have only been a couple of times in my 12 years here that we have had to address profanity with an ee and by simply reminding them or our policy it did not occur again.

Holly Jones

I'm almost hesitant to chime in to keep things on-topic, as that gigantic smiley face was a nice surprise this morning!

Maybe it's just that we're all so friendly and polite down here in TN, but I've never encountered a really remarkable amount of swearing at work in any job I've held.

I tend to think of the issue similarly to that of dress codes, in that it's really going to depend a lot on the company's culture, the type of image the company wishes to promote and, sometimes, how much interaction the employees have with customers and clients. I might feel that I was a victim of false advertising if I went to a biker bar or a tattoo shop and didn't hear an f-bomb or two!

Further, I think (and hope) that disagreeing with the article referenced isn't a "behind the times" matter, either. I'm right on the Gen X/Gen Y cusp and I don't know of a single of my peers or friends who would think it should be okay to spew forth a stream of F-bombs at work. They might still slip up now and then, but they wouldn't argue that it's "just the way things are now." I am laughing at the idea of an F-Bomb Friday to accompany casual dress days, though.

If anything, I think that that most of my peers are extremely careful about the use of foul language at work because many of us were learning what those words meant at around the same time that the Anita Hill hearings were raising tensions about and awareness of sexual harassment in the workplace.

I'm not a big swearer, personally, because I like to maintain the appearance that I always have things under control. It's difficult for me to associate cool, professional composure with someone who doesn't seem to choose their words carefully in the workplace. (Of course, there may just be those times when an F-bomb is the only carefully-chosen word that can appropriately express a situation but, fortunately, I seem to have been spared those situations.)

Paul in Cannon Beach

Is Tennesse the "bible belt"? Do you think that has anything to do with it?

Sharon McKnight SPHR

[quote=Paul in Cannon Beach;717111]Is Tennesse the "bible belt"? Do you think that has anything to do with it?[/quote]

I really don't think so. I grew up in rural Tennessee with a father who uttered one swear word for every two words he spoke and my grandfather was almost as bad as he was. My mother tried very hard to keep us from hearing too much of that and strictly forbid my brother and sisters and me to say even one foul word. She could, however, if she was mad enough, say quite a right few swear words herself.

One of my least favorite childhood memories is getting my mouth washed out with soap for swearing. As I recall, it was a string of expletives. I think I was about 9 years old and was trying to put together a doll house that I'd received for Christmas. My mom told me several times to leave it until my father had time to assemble it, but being the impatient lass I was and it being three days after Christmas already, I decided to go ahead and give it a try. About thirty minutes into it I got so frustrated because I just couldn't figure out the instructions, then I got angry because when I finally did figure out part of it (I thought) it still wouldn't go together correctly. Then I let loose with just about every word I'd ever heard my father or grandfather say.

Faster than you can say, Sharon is in big trouble, my mom grabbed me by the ear and marched me out to the back porch and told me not to move. She came out a couple of minutes later with a pan of water, a washcloth, and a bar of soap. Well, the rest is just too gruesome to discuss but I will say that the worst part was knowing my older brother was running around the yard laughing his head off.

To this day, I hate putting together anything. It doesn't matter what it is, furniture, toys, you name it, if it requires assembly, I don't want any part of it. It's also taken me about 40 years to be able to stand the smell of Dove soap. But, the big question is, do I ever swear? The answer is, only on special occasions.

O:)

KSR6450

[quote=Paul in Cannon Beach;717111]Is Tennesse the "bible belt"? Do you think that has anything to do with it?[/quote]

To answer the first question - we are the buckle. To answer the second question - see above comments.

I have been called a 'thread killer', that hurts *sniff sniff*. Please, someone post after me....

Paul in Cannon Beach

Don't think of it as "killing the thread". Think of it as "having the last word".

NaeNae55

Your wish is my command.

bethk

Funny....my dad used to say that anyone who cussed showed a lack of intelligence because they couldn't think of anything else to say to express themselves.

Now that I'm an adult, that's odd to be because his character was not very ethical. :-/

Paul in Cannon Beach

When I hear someone use the "f word" two or three times in a sentence, I definitely think it makes them look unintelligent.

But I also think that when someone says "like" more than, like, you know, two or three times in one, like, sentence.

bethk

Like....I know. It does doesn't it?