I F*cking Love Working Here
Profanity in the workplace can be a morale booster and inspire a sense of team spirit. “Social” or “annoyance” swearing can be effective in many office and workplace environments while vulgar or abusive cursing should never be allowed, according to a recent study. By no means should employees ever use profanity in front of customers, according to the study published in the U.K.-based Leadership and Organization Development Journal. Taboo language, study says, can manifest itself in solidarity that helps create a much more pleasurable and productive place to work.
Men: That’s not surprising to many workers who find toiling in droll environments far more exciting than passing the hours in a hear-a-pin drop workplace. The study points directly to all-male or male-dominated cultures — think about a football locker room or the factory floor — in which the “competitive nature of men’s speech” creates a sense of harmony and oneness. Often, workers will be within earshot of “annoyance swearing,” what the report describes as a “relief mechanism” for stress and tensions. Maybe more important, however, is that annoyance swearing replaces “primitive physical aggression.”
Women: Female swearers are often perceived to be of a low moral standing. Men, on the other hand, can generate reverence from swearing, though they tend to tone down the use of profanity in front of women. It turns out that women tend to swear more in mixed company as a means of asserting themselves and preventing the conversation from being male-dominated.
The authors warn that repeated occurrences of swearing, threats and verbal abuse can lead to depression, stress, low morale, absenteeism, retention problems and sluggish productivity. What’s a manager to do? Banning swearing might be thought of as a form of strong leadership, but the researchers cautioned that it could tear apart that sense of solidarity or seriously decrease morale and work motivation. So swear away!
The Psychology of Profanity
Words and phrases used in profane swearing may be divided roughly into seven classes:
1. Names of deities, angels, and devils.
2. Names connected with the sacred matters of religion.
3. Names of saints, holy persons, and biblical characters.
4. Names of sacred places.
5. Words relating to the future life.
6. Vulgar words.
7. Expletives.
The occasion of profanity in general is a situation in which there is a high degree of emotion, usually of the aggressive type, accompanied by a certain feeling of helplessness. The most striking effect is that of a pleasant feeling of relief from a painful stress.
