Does Swearing Improve Work Morale?

October 19 by | 17 comments | Communication | Tags: ,
Does Swearing Improve Work Morale?

Research at the Norwich Business School by Prof Yehuda Baruch is suggesting that allowing, or even encouraging, some bad language in the workplace could benefit employee morale and spirit.

“We hope that this study will serve not only to acknowledge the part that swearing plays in our work and our lives,” said Baruch, “but also to indicate that leaders sometimes need to ‘think differently’, and be open to intriguing ideas.”

Is there generally little tolerance in casual working situations, between peers for instance? Or is this sort of attitude fairly prevalent already?

Survey says ‘never mind the b******s’ – [UEA] Via – [Yahoo!]

  • Nolan

    I always thought that cursing made the swearer feel better. But, I think it is detrimental to those being sworn at. Even if you are not the target of swearing, I think it make the situation uncomfortable.

    So, while it may help the one person, it’s a morale killer for everyone else in earshot.

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  • Ryles

    I like it. I think it will relax the workplace and allow a freedom of expression that has been missing for a long time. As for all those candy A$&es that can’t take some harsh language, they can just F#$% off! Pu@#yS! :) Cheers!

  • http://www.hownottowrite.com Jamie

    I tell people that when I _stop_ swearing they are in trouble. Life is too short not to swear like a sailor, especially in business.

  • http://www.sxinc.net Tom P.

    I think it makes the work environment more enjoyable. I work in a part store and go figure swearing and SOME harassment makes the day better and more enjoyable to be yourself around them and for them to do the same!

  • Adam

    I used to sit across from a VP who swore constantly (not in a fun motivating way, but in a derogatory way) and found it highly irritating. Some people just aren’t aware enough to realize the impact they’re having on those around them (or don’t give a shit).

    Either way, I think it depends on the culture and what each group of people are comfortable with. There is different kind of swearing too – if it’s directed at someone, or used to emphasis a point.

  • Ben

    The open acceptance of swearing in a working envrionment is furthering the decline of western society.

    Why not make it open slather and allow staff members to blatantly consume alcohol and snort/sniff/shoot/smoke illict substances during work hours.

    Civility and courtesy still mean something in the 21st Century.

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  • http://www.lowestcostcolleges.com/ NovMan

    I agree with Ben. I appreciate civility in the workplace and I’m disgusted when the bad language gets out of hand. Most of the time, it is simply not neccesary to swear. It seems that too many people use swear words as “filler” for their sentences. The swear words are out of place and are nothing more than ugly sentence “bling” that no one wants to hear. And it is definately a morale buster.

  • http://ideamatt.blogspot.com/ Matthew Cornell

    I have to say my former job (research software programming) was a real swear-inducer (as is *all* programming, IMHO). It’s an activity that involves frequently hitting brick walls that a) aren’t your fault, b) can’t be easily fixed, and c) are very important to fix! My wife said she could tell when I hit one because a stream of “fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!” could be heard (sorry for the rough language!)

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  • http://www.ccoder.co.uk Wardy

    Different people will be offended by different things.

    What might be acceptable to one person or situation migth not suit another.

    For example …

    I am a programmer and in my last job if something fell apart quite badly i too got a little colourful with the language, but that was under the understanding that the colour was kept to a minimum and was not being consistently thrown directly at someone.

    Situations like customer facing roles would most certainly make for an inappropriate situation but at your desk you could be forgiven if u lost 4 hours coding due to a power cut.

    Language used in response to something like a machine failing or dropping something on your toe however is very different to langauge used at someone and where you are likely to directly offend someone it would likely be destructive at all times.

    So the answer is really down to context i would think …

    If no one is offended, sure, otherwise the liberal boss might end up facing his offended employee in court long term.

    And that is why employers often “enforce rules strongly”.

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