4 ms·
When meeting with clients or other teams in a big organization, it's obviously discouraged. When speaking with colleagues, it's discouraged only when there's p
by notpc 10y ago
When meeting with clients or other teams in a big organization, it's obviously discouraged.
When speaking with colleagues, it's discouraged only when there's people who are trigger-happy about complaining to HR. Fairly or not, women in particular have a reputation of running to HR when someone says something offensive or crude, which leads to them being excluded from office banter, which leads to them feeling left out of the group. Tough problem to solve.
It makes sense really. You let the profanity flow when you feel that you can trust people. You're also most honest when you feel that you can trust people.
- cmdrfred 10y agoIf I have to consider what I'm saying. Then I'm considering what I'm saying and I have a opportunity to spin it or outright lie. Straight off the cuff I can speak faster but don't have that chance.
- carlmcqueen 10y agoI was raised in a home that didn't allow any swearing, swearing just really isn't in my active vocabulary. I totally swear when I stub my toe, when I forget something and I'm half way to work, but I never feel need the need to interject swears into common sentences. People comment that I don't swear often -- usually uncomfortably checking if I'm against it-- I'm not, I work in finance where there is a lot of swearing done and don't mind. Its just not part of the vocab I use. Interesting twist for me is that now that the kids are all grown up my mother swears and said she swore a lot before kids but 'gave it up' to make the rule real. Totally hard for my brain to handle.
- edgarvaldes 10y agoIt reminds me of the famous article by Joel Spolsky about his first Bill Gates review [1] >In my BillG review meeting, the whole reporting hierarchy was there, along with their cousins, sisters, and aunts, and a person who came along from my team whose whole job during the meeting was to keep an accurate count of how many times Bill said the F word. The lower the f*-count, the better. Was Gates the only one allowed to swear? [1] https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2006/06/16/my-first-billg-review/ https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2006/06/16/my-first-billg-rev...
- notpc 10y agoGod bless Bill. I've also heard great stories of chairs being thrown (not at people, of course) in high-level Microsoft meetings. Can you imagine him getting away with it today though? Someone would have tried to sue him for creating a "hostile workplace" or something like that. We're getting too soft these days.
- moon_priestess 10y ago> Fairly or not, women in particular have a reputation of running to HR when someone says something offensive or crude, which leads to them being excluded from office banter, which leads to them feeling left out of the group. Tough problem to solve. Actually, it seems really easy to solve: Stop cursing so much at work and stop excluding women from your conversations. If you can't see the value of inclusiveness over cursing, you're the problem in the situation.
- imesh 10y agoI love that instead of arguing that women don't do that, you argue that they do and it's OK. Wow. Glad I don't work in an American office.
- moon_priestess 10y agoI didn't argue women do that. I've never encountered a woman who has done that. People can be made uncomfortable though by vulgar language. It shouldn't be used in an office setting to the point that it's making other people uncomfortable. Read those around you and try to be accommodating. This is basic stuff.
- Quarrelsome 10y agoIf I don't like how _you_ talk does it mean you are excluding me from your conversation? Slippery slope. What if I don't like the topics you bring up?
- moon_priestess 10y agoThis is not a slippery slope. All I'm saying is that you should prioritize making people feel included over using whatever vulgar language you want in the workplace. Do you disagree with that?
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- notpc 10y ago