Swearing in the Workplace

Networkworld posted an article called Never mind the b******t, swearing at work is a good thing,1 suggesting that swearing in the workplace is good for our working relationships and can help to relieve stress. The New York times however in their article The 4-Letter-Word Patrol is in Pursuit2 takes a look at the negative aspects of swearing in the workplace and the push by some to clean up our language at work.

I have worked in offices where there was a zero tolerance for swearing and in other offices where swearing was common and acceptable. There seems to be a lot of controversy over this issue, but personally I think swearing is inappropriate for the office environment and comes across as unprofessional.

No matter what your position is, however, I would suggest you check what your office policy states to make sure you are in compliance and if your office has a zero tolerance for swearing you need to check your language at the door and be aware of what you are saying as it could affect your career.

1 Networkworld.com, http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/20718, (accessed January 11, 2008)
2 New York Times, http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950CE0D81130F934A15755C0A9679C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all, (accessed January 11, 1008)