Mind your effing language in the workplace

Unpack the psychology of swearing: Does profanity in the workplace signal poor leadership or honesty, and how do employees truly react?

Swearing goes by many names - profanity, blasphemy, fulminating and imprecating - just a few of the designations for what a previous generation would have labelled ‘vulgar language’. Like it or not, though, cursing is everywhere nowadays, with not even the workplace safe from the occasional torrent of expletives – frequently from the top down. 

SpaceX chief Elon Musk is fond of dropping the F-bomb, as is JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon – but both of whom remain completely out-gunned by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, who once unleashed 240 variations of the F-word in a single television episode. “How colleagues respond to colourful language varies - some might enjoy it, while others are unbothered. It can also be considered a sign of poor leadership, unprofessional – and simply unnecessary,” according to Alexandros Psychogios, Professor of Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour, Loughborough University. 

A recent study of 5,660 employees in 19 countries found people’s reactions to a sweary boss depends on what is being said, and on who is listening. “We found that there is not a single ‘correct’ way for leaders to communicate,” Psychogios added. “But overall, employees were less satisfied with supervisors who frequently used profanity. So if you’re wondering whether filling meetings with swear words is a good management strategy, it’s probably safer to avoid them.”

Coprolalia, the medical term for “excessive use of obscene language”, derives from a mix of the Greek words kopros and lalien – appropriately translated as dung and babble. Swear words activate the brain’s amygdala, our centre for processing emotions, which immediately ignites attention when the F-word is blurted. If money talks, then swear-laden monologues by the likes of comedians Chris Rock, Tommy Tiernan and Sarah Millican have contributed to healthy entertainment careers. 

A Cambridge University study titled ‘Frankly, we do give a damn: The relationship between profanity and honesty,’ found that people who use bad language are less likely to be associated with deception. The study cited as an example Donald Trump, whose frequent use of profanity on the election trail helped make him seem more genuine than his rivals. The thousands at his infamous Madison Square Garden rally cheered the F- and S-bombs thrown with abandon as part of the testosterone-driven appeal. Real men curse, and thus Trump is a real man might go the reasoning.

“Work is often stressful, frustrating and demanding, and depending on the culture of your place of work, expressing your emotions periodically with nasty words might be expected and tolerated,” said James O'Connor, author of Cuss Control and MD of the Cuss Control Academy, founded to increase awareness of the negative impact bad language has on society. “It also depends on who is swearing, why, what words are used and who hears them. If the boss swears for any reason, others feel entitled to let their language fly,” O’Connor explained. 

“Swearing in front of a customer can be a bad reflection on the employee and the company's reputation. You might ask what harm does it do, but what good does it do? It can make you feel better, but it doesn’t earn respect, reflect strong character, solve disagreements, exhibit intelligence, or get you promoted.” Doubtless the debate around office swearing will continue to rage – so best perhaps to heed the observation of Stephen Fry upon this cussed conundrum: “Some say swearing is unnecessary – but then, who can deny that some of the most enjoyable things in life are unnecessary?”