Profanity in the workplace. Even The Wall Street Journal has taken notice.
How serious is it, and what are the implications? Where does it border on harassment, and where does it border on contempt for fellow employees? Craig Weber, TEC (The Executive Committee) resource expert on the subject, has some constructive thoughts on this tricky communication issue.
Not surprisingly, profanity begins at the top. If key execs freely use swear words to describe their unhappiness at the moment, there’s a trickle-down effect. The message to the rank and file: it’s OK.
But is it? First, it’s degrading by any standard. It takes the issue in question to the lowest common denominator, whether it’s a person or a situation. It also destroys the source’s credibility instantly. As one manager said to me, “If they do it at work, what do they do at home in the presence of their kids?”
It’s also clearly dysfunctional to the cohesiveness of work teams. Employees who hate profanity might not have the courage to stand up and object for fear of retaliation. So they remain silent, but less committed to the team.
There appear to be two interesting, yet opposing, company cultures that gravitate toward tolerance for swearing, Weber says.
1. The laid-back we-are-all-in-this-together culture is almost like a fraternity environment. The use of profanity somehow communicates a symbolic unity. Employees believe that their degree of comfort with one another means it’s OK to let down their guard. It becomes a casual exchange and falsely suggests a degree of communication intimacy.
2. In the hard-driving aggressive environment, employees use profanity to communicate urgency, a need for action. Most swear words are one syllable, so they carry a bullet-like impact and light a fire under the butt of the person on the receiving end so they get the job done. It is, in fact, a terrible negative motivator.
Now here’s the tough part. As chief executive, what should you do to recognize the problem in the first place? Quite frankly, how do you even find out if profanity is a problem in your company unless you can hear it? Weber suggests you ask your key players these survey questions and tell them responses can be anonymous.
• Do you think the use of swear words or profanity interferes with our ability to effectively communicate, work together, readily tackle problems, and make appropriate decisions?
• Has the use of profanity, from your perspective as an employee, caused a problem with customers, vendors or other outsiders?
• Do you believe swearing contributes something positive to our company. If so, what?
• Do you as an employee find swearing, in-house, to be a plus for your job or the job of others?
• Do you believe that the use of profanity in our company has reached the point where something has to be done about it?
Survey follow-up
Assemble your management team to discuss the survey results. It’s important that the communication climate is open so that people won’t feel reluctant to express their opinions. Here are five direct questions to get the ball rolling:
1. How can we have spirited, open debate about issues without resorting to the use of words that some employees might find offensive?
2. Is there any upside to accepting swearing here?
3. What about the downside? Could it be costing us in terms of mutual respect and consideration for the feelings of others?
4. Do we as managers understand the risk of upsetting people by using words that are provocative and, potentially, personally insulting to others?
5. If we believe we do have a problem with profanity, how can we change our culture to minimize or prevent it?
Successful techniques
Easier said than done, I know. If it’s habitual and has been tacitly accepted for some time, a change won’t occur overnight. The key to breaking this habit is to address the issue out in the open and involve all employees in the process. The discussion must begin in small groups with the results of the anonymous survey as the focal point.
Top management must make it clear that, as a group, managers are committed to breaking the habit, beginning with “numero uno,” if the shoe fits. Here are four techniques that companies have used successfully.
1. Charge people a buck if they’re caught swearing. Make a pledge to collect the proceeds for a shared reward at some point in the future – an employee dinner celebration, for example.
2. Develop a hand signal that any employee can use to silently warn another employee that they have stepped over the profanity line. For example, a “thumbs down” gesture.
3. Decide in advance on rewards for change. This should not be an individually-based reward system, but it could be done on a shift or departmental basis or, for a small company, for all employees below the senior management level.
4. Advertise success stories. Give employees a chance to share a success story that can be, in part, attributed to finding alternatives to profanity at, for example, a team meeting or customer/ vendor meeting.
As with any people change program, patience is the order of the day. A stop-swearing campaign is no different.
A little bit of humor helps, too. And that has to begin at the top. It might start with something as simple as, “darn, we missed the boat on that one.” As I’ve said over and over again in this column, paying attention to detail is a key to developing and maintaining a competitive advantage.
Until next month, I wish you success in sustaining a healthy psychological culture for your employees.
