Do you swear at work? If not, maybe you should.
A new study by management professor Yehuda Baruch of the University of East Anglia in the U.K. finds that cursing can make for a better, more sociable workplace.
It depends on what type of swearing, of course. Abusive, bullying cursing is a no-no. And it’s a bad idea to swear at or in front of customers.
But what the researchers call “social swearing” can foster comeraderie of the sort found in locker rooms.
Why is social swearing so useful? Because, according to the study, it’s a way of blowing off steam and articulating frustration and annoyance that co-workers can relate to. Basically, using taboo language, within certain limits, can loosen things up in the workplace and contribute to an atmosphere where eomployees feel relaxed.
Swearing at work may not be as useful for women, though. The study finds that women who swear are often seen as vulgar. But in some cases women can use swearing to establish themselves as “one of the guys.”
Source: Market Watch
I swear at at home … but then, I work at home. So, what the h*ll, I guess I do swear at work. Good for me!
Just to be clear, I’m not advocating (nor do I think the study I cite is advocating) indiscriminate swearing at work. It depends, obviously, on the workplace. If you work at a place where cursing is clearly not appropriate or where swearing would make you stick out awkwardly, then dropping f-bombs is probably not a good idea. The underlying sentiment is that a work atmosphere conducive to swearing is probably one in which people feel fairly comfortable with each other and feel comfortable expressing themselves in a casual, open manner. Is it possible to artificialy foster such an atmosphere? I don’t know. It would seem to depend on the people. It’s hard to imagine a boss sending out a memo encouraging swearing. Either it happens or it doesn’t. That’s my guess, anyhow.
I worked for 34 years as a high school English teacher (recently retired), and I can say with certainty that swearing in the faculty room went a long long way toward defusing tension, blowing off steam, fostering cameraderie, and generating quite a few laughs.
Interestingly, I recall very little of it among the older generation of teachers when I first arrived–those born in the 30s and earlier–but among my generation (the Vietnam years) and younger, it was a much more casual and “bonding” sort of language.
Of course, the f* bomb still works fabulously well for occasions of real fury, but in more casual contexts it can be the glue that holds the shaky parts together.
So I say “let ‘er rip”–just not in the classroom, parent conferences, or faculty meetings. I mean, use your head!
Thank GOD. A voice of reason. swearing is fun and it is a constructive way to blow off steam. I agree that abusive swearing has no place at the office, but dropping F-bombs is fun and no harm done.
Language evolves. Things are more casual now. people use curse words as a form of humor more than anything now-adays.
Let’s all say “cheers” with a hardy MF! Whoo Hoo!
Cool.
I know being at work makes me want to swear. I’d feel a lot better if I could cuss about it, let it out. It might be what you called abusive, tho - there’s someone in particular I usually want to swear at…
KT
My co-workers have determined that I must be the healthiest employee in the office. Yes, I do swear to relieve stress and put the computer in its place. I really don’t see the significance of gender however.
Michael–
As a fellow teacher–I’m currently teaching a college journalism course at Indiana University–I agree that swearing among colleagues can be a great way to relieve tension and even just communicate. As for swearing in the classroom–that’s tricky. My guess is that in high school it’s probably a bad idea, maybe even grounds for getting into trouble. But in a college classroom I’ve found that a well-timed curse can work well. It certainly gets students’ attention, sometimes relieves tension in the room, fosters a fun atmosphere. I don’t swear in class often–just every now and again when I sense it’s appropriate.
Is there any real definition of a ’swear word’?
Over the years most, if not all, so called ’swear words’ are used as if they were normal English.
Over indulgence in anything reduces its effectiveness.
Are they insulting? Not at all. A person can only be insulted, in my view, if they accept what was intended as an insult.
A person who has real authority and command does not need to use any language that could be generally considered to be ’swear words’.
As regards’letting of steam’ and ‘cameraderie’, get more team exercise, tennis, squash,badminton etc. and improve your health at the same time.
Have fun and please remember, it takes ‘all sorts’ to make a world.
George
wow i cant believe my comments were not posted ill bother you no more
When I read the article below, I wanted to swear. Anyone else get that impulse?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2201594,00.html
http://tinyurl.com/2jttce
Sincerely,
Steve
That is a really good tip. Thanks for letting me know that i can actually do that with out feeling like i am the only one doing it.SO its nice to know that there are other people out there cussing at work.
I love seeing swear words in forums and blog boards, especially if it’s against the rules. People become resourceful with symbols so we can understand, and ironically their spelling $uk$!
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