Foul Language at Work: What Should HR Do?
Curse words, "swear" words, whatever you call them, the use of foul language seems to be on the increase. Words once thought to be unspeakable now make a regular appearance in music, videos, and television (think The Sopranos ). But what do HR professionals do when foul language enters the workplace in a pervasive and offensive way?
People Are Talking
Participants in BLR's HR Forum had some ideas about how to curb potty-mouthed employees. Participants had this to say:
There's no law against swearing in the workplace, but it can create harassment problems if the swearing is directed at a particular group (like women). I think it depends on the words used and the context. In some workplaces, there's a lot of swearing by a lot of employees and no one thinks anything about it, but since you said some employees have complained, either an existing policy should be enforced, or one should be created. If there's a policy about professionalism and respect for co-workers it
would probably apply. Or someone can ask the offending employee to clean up his/her act.
Another participant suggested the fiscally responsible approach:
We had that problem here--with a woman. Our vice president, an ex-military officer, brought over a big mason jar. He told her, good-naturedly rather than confrontationally, that every time someone heard her swear, she had to put a quarter into the jar. It worked--eventually. The money in the jar went to charity.
Why Do People Swear?
According to HowStuffWorks.com, swearing is used in social interactions to:
Establish a group identity
Establish membership in a group and maintain the group's boundaries
Express solidarity with other people
Express trust and intimacy (mostly when women swear in the presence of other women)
Add humor, emphasis or "shock value"
Attempt to camouflage a person's fear or insecurity
"People also swear because they feel they are expected to or because swearing has become a habit," the site notes. "But just because swearing plays all these roles doesn't mean it's socially acceptable, or even legal."
In fact, in the workplace it often leads to claims of a hostile work environment, harassment, , ism, or other types of illegal discrimination. As such, it is up to employers to set the boundaries by using policies for professional conduct and harassment prevention, and up to supervisors to enforce those policies and good behavior for employees.
Curse words, "swear" words, whatever you call them, the use of foul language seems to be on the increase. Words once thought to be unspeakable now make a regular appearance in music, videos, and television (think The Sopranos ). But what do HR professionals do when foul language enters the workplace in a pervasive and offensive way?
People Are Talking
Participants in BLR's HR Forum had some ideas about how to curb potty-mouthed employees. Participants had this to say:
There's no law against swearing in the workplace, but it can create harassment problems if the swearing is directed at a particular group (like women). I think it depends on the words used and the context. In some workplaces, there's a lot of swearing by a lot of employees and no one thinks anything about it, but since you said some employees have complained, either an existing policy should be enforced, or one should be created. If there's a policy about professionalism and respect for co-workers it
would probably apply. Or someone can ask the offending employee to clean up his/her act.Another participant suggested the fiscally responsible approach:
We had that problem here--with a woman. Our vice president, an ex-military officer, brought over a big mason jar. He told her, good-naturedly rather than confrontationally, that every time someone heard her swear, she had to put a quarter into the jar. It worked--eventually. The money in the jar went to charity.
Why Do People Swear?
According to HowStuffWorks.com, swearing is used in social interactions to:
Establish a group identity
Establish membership in a group and maintain the group's boundaries
Express solidarity with other people
Express trust and intimacy (mostly when women swear in the presence of other women)
Add humor, emphasis or "shock value"
Attempt to camouflage a person's fear or insecurity
"People also swear because they feel they are expected to or because swearing has become a habit," the site notes. "But just because swearing plays all these roles doesn't mean it's socially acceptable, or even legal."
In fact, in the workplace it often leads to claims of a hostile work environment, harassment, , ism, or other types of illegal discrimination. As such, it is up to employers to set the boundaries by using policies for professional conduct and harassment prevention, and up to supervisors to enforce those policies and good behavior for employees.
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