By Kyle Emshwiller
Half (51 percent) of workers reported that they swear in the office, according to a recent CareerBuilder survey. The majority of those (95 percent) said they do so in front of their coworkers, while 51 percent cuss in front of the boss.
However, workers seem to clean up their language in front of senior leaders. Only 13 percent use expletives in front of senior leaders and even less, only 7 percent swear in front of their clients.
While swearing seems to be prevalent in the workplace, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s accepted. Most employers (81 percent) believe that swearing brings the employee’s professionalism into question. Others are concerned with the lack of control (71 percent) and lack of maturity (68 percent) demonstrated, while 54 percent said swearing at work makes an employee appear less intelligent.
But employers can’t be too heavy handed. Twenty-five percent of employers admitted to swearing at their employees. Roughly the same amount (28 percent) of workers said they have sworn at other coworkers.
The following are a few other highlights from the survey:
Gender: Overall, the survey found that men are more likely to swear at work—54 percent compared to 47 percent of women.
Location: Among top markets in the United States, workers in the District of Columbia were the most likely to report that they swear at work—62 percent.
Age: Young employees (ages 18–24) were the least likely to swear at work (42 percent), while employees (ages 35–44) are the most likely (58 percent).