“I’ve spent thousands on your education, and that’s what comes out of your mouth?” My Dad looked at me with a disappointment than ran deeper than the school fees he paid ever would.
He’d unintentionally been privy to a stream of four letter words gushing out of the mouth of his first-born child; like a Kings Cross prostitute come 3am on a Sunday morning.
This memory came flashed into my mind, as I stumbled on an opinion piece about “Swearing in the work place”. You can read the original article here
This made me think and also start to analyse my own behaviour and that of my work places; present and past.
Coming from a Sales background, filthy language was commonplace. Binge drinking and inter office relations also ran rampant (hey, it’s in every industry no judging). But perhaps that’s another story for another time.
Co-workers at a recent workplace were stunned by the colourful oaths that fell from my lips, (perhaps more so at their descriptive nature more than anything else). The extent of my foul mouth was something that came as of a surprise to me. I was genuinely in shock!
“I don’t swear that much,” I had scoffed, before reading another email that sent me off into a spluttering round of colourful curses.
So it was decided, a swear jar was organised in the lead up to Christmas. It was to shout the first few rounds of drinks at our department soiree.
My contributions totaled close to $60.00 over a two -week period. Impressive, considering the largest tax was $1.00. No one was safe, not even our poor payroll lady (our resident matriarch and a beacon of all things wholesome) was made to blush and drop in a few coins. To my defense I think a large part of my potty mouth, had to do with the time of year (well that’s what I’m sticking too).
The article in question revealed that 38% of workers had been disciplined for swearing in the workplace. Lucky for me though, I’ve always been in a workplace where the contents of a conversation never brought any disciplinary action.
It goes without saying; different workplaces have different cultures. How swearing fits into the culture of the workplace is a tone set by your superiors and the culture at large. Having a mouth like Ozzy Osbourne clearly isn’t going to win you much business in any client-facing role, that’s for sure.
The humble swear jar brought me crashing down to earth, a costly reminder that swearing was a downfall in my communications M.O..
If your boss or superior is firing off round after round of trash talk, following suit won’t always bode you well. How are they making everyone else feel? Uncomfortable? It’s also largely about context and directive though.
It’s also important to remember that what’s good for the goose, sometimes is definitely not good for the gander.
Judge the crowd. If it feels inappropriate, it probably is.
I apply the same rule to swearing, nowadays. Never in front of clients, and never directed toward a co-worker, are my rules of thumb. So what do you think? Do I think it’s ok to swear at work?
Sometimes, a little goes a long way. I apply this rule to baked goods and anything to do with the Kardashians. Just don’t ask my opinion on the Kardashians.
Marissa..