Have you ever cursed on the job?  In front of your boss?  To your coworkers?  Well…you should probably shut your trap.  Turns out a lot of people do and it’s not going to help with that raise.  According to a recent CareerBuilder survey, “64 percent of employers think less of an employee who repeatedly uses curse words, and 57 percent are less likely to promote someone who swears in the office” (Wong, para. 2).

According to the same survey, most of these potty mouths are employees aged 35-44.  The people who swear the least?  Employees aged 18-24.  Are you surprised?  I’m not.

Longer standing employees often feel more secure in their positions.  They have more years in the business and perhaps they subconsciously use that to justify the $&*! that comes out of their mouths.

In my experience, most workplace swearing happens in the lunchroom.  Employees are off the clock and ready to release their morning stress.  However, as soon as some people stop working, they seem to forget they are still AT WORK.   I’m no boss, but I certainly think less of these individuals who feel the need to dirty up my down time.

I believe the same principles apply to social media.  If you’re using social media to build a professional network, engage with coworkers, friends, family, whoever and wherever that may be, clean it up a little!  I’ve certainly done my fair share of swearing but there’s a time and place for it.  If you want to compare whose boss is a bigger a$$hole, go out to lunch.

As far as social media goes, I really don’t appreciate inappropriate tweets or Facebook posts with my name attached to them.  I don’t have time to monitor everything others say to me or about me, but at the same time, I don’t want anyone thinking less of me.  So…if you’re at work or online, keep it classy!

- H. Acito

Wong, Vanessa.  Cursing at Work Harms your @#$%& Career

How do internal communications play a role in this feat of mental strength?  Add roster photos to the internal staff directory. There is great value in giving new employees the ability to get to know people.

Once you have studied the faces of the people attending a meeting, put it into action. Greet people by name and repeat their name in conversation. If you forget their name, remember that you have leniency so remain poised, respectful and honest by saying “I know we have met and I’m sorry that I cannot remember your name, my name is ___________.” By putting in your name, you are saying that you obviously did not expect them to remember you either. For me, my brain works by remembering the sounds of a name, if it is short or long, the beginning sound and pairing it with a photo.

Internal communications can teach memory techniques and provide a roster of photos via the internal channels, and the new employee is set up for success.  They will enter a room with more confidence and immediately begin to assimilate into the team.

-Kelly

Photo Source: sodahead.com