People In DC Swear More At Work–Goddamn Right We Do

Some [expletive deleted] survey says that swearing at work is bad, even though almost everyone surveyed admits swearing at work.

Some [expletive deleted] survey says that swearing at work is bad, even though almost everyone surveyed admits swearing at work.

YahooNews (“Washington, DC, tops list of cities where people curse at work“)

A new survey finds that employees who swear frequently on the job are less likely to get a promotion. And the worst offenders are workers in our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C.

The CareerBuilder study found some interesting and often conflicting results in their survey of 2,298 hiring managers and 3,892 nongovernment employees.

For example, 81 percent of respondents said cursing in the workplace brings an employee’s professionalism into question. And 64 percent of employees said they’d think less of a co-worker who swears regularly while on the job. In addition, 57 percent of managers said they’re less likely to promote someone who swears. Majorities also said that swearing makes a co-worker appear less in control (71 percent), less mature (68 percent) and even less intelligent (54 percent)

Nonetheless, 51 percent of the same respondents admitted to swearing in the office, with a full 95 percent of those who curse saying they do so in front of their co-workers. The same 51 percent said they use profanity in front of their bosses. And 25 percent of the hiring managers confessed to swearing at their employees.

[…]

Although Washington, D.C., tops the list at 62 percent, it is closely followed by Denver (60 percent) and Chicago (58 percent). The first major city on the list to fall under 50 percent is Phoenix (47 percent). And perhaps in a surprising result, New York is only the ninth most swear-friendly city in America, with 46 percent of workers in the Big Apple disregarding the personal language censor in the office.

And in another potentially surprising result, the country’s youngest workers are also the least likely to swear. Only 42 percent of employees aged 18 to 24 said they swear in the office. And 44 percent of workers aged 55 years and older said they curse at work. Perhaps it’s those middle-aged years that provide the biggest verbal challenges, as a full 58 percent of workers aged 35 to 44 said they use profanity at the office, topping the list.

Apparently, I’m bringing the average up. Well, [expletive deleted] these [expletive deleted] if they can’t take a [expletive deleted]   joke. Who the [expletive deleted] do they think they are, anyway?

FILED UNDER: Economics and Business, , , ,
James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. michael reynolds says:

    Fuckin a.

  2. This is why I’m glad I’m a Battlestar Galactica fan.

    I can say “fracking” and people think I’m talking about mining for natural gas 🙂

  3. al-Ameda says:

    For example, 81 percent of respondents said cursing in the workplace brings an employee’s professionalism into question. And 64 percent of employees said they’d think less of a co-worker who swears regularly while on the job. In addition, 57 percent of managers said they’re less likely to promote someone who swears. Majorities also said that swearing makes a co-worker appear less in control (71 percent), less mature (68 percent) and even less intelligent (54 percent)

    Nonetheless, 51 percent of the same respondents admitted to swearing in the office,

    I love polls like this. What surprised me was how many people were honest (51%) and admitted that they swear in the office. I expected that number to be 25% or less.

  4. I don’t give a flying fig, OR a rat’s patootie.

  5. OzarkHillbilly says:

    Without cursing, a job site would be a whole lot quieter. Seriously, inventive cursing is a prerequisite for “foreman” and only the best of the best make it to “Riding Boss”.

  6. G.A. says:

    Nonetheless, 51 percent of the same respondents admitted to swearing in the office

    Is working in an office really working?Or should we invent another term for that?

  7. James Joyner says:

    @G.A.: Please endeavor to add something useful to the conversation from time to time.

  8. G.A. says:

    Please endeavor to add something useful to the conversation from time to time.

    OK boss…

    Everyone in my crane company swears worse then me, and it don’t seem to bother anyone except me.But I am half prude.

    If we took a poll there it would be cool to do it with some form of recording device to see how many of the answers come out with every other word being mother****** and or ****.I am not sure if the category of question would matter.I am thinking 65-75% based on first hand experience.

    Um, I will also try to be more useful when commenting. I am not sure I can live up the high standards of intellectual discourse around here, but since you asked me personally I will give it a shot or keep my typer shut…

    Mabey, you need a new late night DJ? 🙂 I got skillz….

  9. Jeremy says:

    For example, 81 percent of respondents said cursing in the workplace brings an employee’s professionalism into question. And 64 percent of employees said they’d think less of a co-worker who swears regularly while on the job. In addition, 57 percent of managers said they’re less likely to promote someone who swears. Majorities also said that swearing makes a co-worker appear less in control (71 percent), less mature (68 percent) and even less intelligent (54 percent)

    Horseshit.