Dropping the F-Bomb at Work

i have been under an aural assault all day today. a new woman started working here a few weeks ago, and whenever she's on the phone w/ friends, which happens way way too often, she's loud, puts all her ugly business out for the whole (cubicle-dwelling) office to hear, and every other word is f_ck. now, i'm no word prude. i like a good curse every now and then. but at work? no one here talks like that, except her! and she does this 8 hours a day! i've actually resorted to putting my fingers in my ears so i don't have to hear it. she's just so damn ignorant!

got anybody like that at your job?

btw, she just said it again. i just wanna pop her.

I think I HAVE heard the occasional swear at my work, but not often. Swearing isn't very professional.

Sorry you're dealing with such a... *looks for words here*

If you are in an office with an HR department you can get them to speak to her.

It could be that she always speaks to her friends that way and doesn't even realize that she is doing it.  :)

People swear up a storm here, except in executive meetings.

I work with Realtors and Loan Officers...EVERYONE swears, all day long and very loudly. In fact my broker just announced at our team meeting that swearing on the intercom is now prohibited due to one LO doing so while a client was in the office...

There's a sign outside of my boss' (Brother-in-Law) Office that says ''Leave your potty mouth and filthy behaviour in the bathroom upstairs"

I used to, but people like that rarely last in the office I'm working in currently, which deals with elderly people on a regular basis. I'll deal with client who curse every other word, bu what I do is I just substitute their curse words for that weird bleep noise (a la 'Jerry Springer show'), though I've gotten a few odd looks for when I kind of laugh.

I'd say talk to your HR person, or possibly even your boss. Like hkellick said, it's very, VERY unproffessional to curse at work. Save it for home, save it for the bar or while watching the game, heck, go into the bathroom and grumble you curse words if you HAVE to, but keep it OUTSIDE of the professional environment. Nothing says 'trash' like trash talk.

I work a relatively high stress job that just got even more stressful with the new portable computer system.  Really now, we have to carry dozens of tubes, hefty blood culture bottles, sharp objects and order slips.  Why take away our light-weight order slips and replace it with a three pound printer and a handheld palm pilot?!  Not to mention everyone's a little older and not adapting well to the new technology ('cept a young'un like myself). 

Point being we're hearing a lot of swear words in the lab.  Not on the floor, as that's a biggggggggg no-no.  You always put on a happy face for the patients so they feel secure and know they're being taken care of properly.  If you need to mutter F*#$ under your breath, still turn your head in the off chance they've got extraordinary hearing.

I work with ALL men...in the construction field, so yeah I'm pretty used to swearing lol

But I agree, it's not appropriate for the office

it's not that i find it inappropriate in all circumstances, even all work circumstances, but you should consider your environment. especially since she JUST started working here. i mean, is that the impression she wants to give everybody about her? if casual swearing were the norm, it wouldn't bother me a bit. but it's not here. you barely even hear anyone speak around here! so to hear not only her entire conversation, but the whole profanity-laced diatribe, is just too much!

i considered emailing hr or her boss, but i stopped myself. after all, i'm on CC all-frickin'-day. i'd be something of a hypocrite.

before you go to HR, i think you should talk to her about it.  knowing that you've noticed might be enough (and especially knowing that you've noticed that she's making personal calls all day).  just let her know that her voice carries; see if anything changes.

i've only had one workplace where it was absolutely never okay; that was an elementary school.  i remember walking into the staff room one day just in time to hear a new teacher swear at the microwave and being so relieved that i wasn't the only one ;)

actually, in youth work i found that the f-bomb was a pretty effective tool for building rapport.  when i had a new client--especially one referred by a parent, social worker, or teacher--i'd sometimes drop that into the conversation during our first meeting.  this look would cross their face, like, "Oh - we're telling the truth here.  That's different."

It's definitely unproffessional in an office setting but I think to a certain degree it's acceptable.

However, people who curse every other word are exceedingly annoying and I don't think they should be tolerated in any setting :p

Original Post by dnrothx:

People swear up a storm here, except in executive meetings.

 People swear up a storm here, especially in executive meetings!

i work in the construction business so they get thrown around here all the time! my first day on the job one old coot was trying to see of he could get under my skin and i knew it so i said " f off!" and he looked at me then all the guys in the office started laughing and then he busted out laughing. he is very sweet to me now. i don't look like the cursing type and really don't but i had to let them know it wouldn't bother me if they did. been around it enough.

my two daughters. now that is a different story. i HATE to hear them cus. i just hate it and feel like i am correcting them all the time. they say the kids cus all the time. "it's just what kids do these days mom" sheeehs....btw they didn't learn it from me. i don't cus at home. *added for the attackers*

tell that chick that she sounds very unattractive. she has probably just lived around it so long with her friends and family that she thinks it is "normal" poor kid. someone should tell her. really

katttttttttt

i've always worked in environments where swearing was fine...and totally agree with pgeorgian about swearing building rapport with youth.

my biggest grip with your situation is that it's happening while she's on the phone with friends.  personally, i'm a fan of excusing yourself while making personal phone calls or keeping them to a minimum when you are at work.  that would annoy me more that anything she actually says.

theres a few people in my office that swear...sometimes the boss...its kinda funny...but NEVER on assignment....no professional....

 

Maybe theres a chance this women doesnt realize everybody can hear her? maybe you can drop her a hint.....

yeah, we have a lounge in the basement. most people take their cell phones and go down there to make personal calls. or in the many stairways we have. or outside. but not her...and not the guy that sits behind me. he's on the phone w/ various companies' customer service departments griping all day, or talking to his teenage daughter or his ex-wife griping all day, or fussing at his newly pregnant girlfriend all day. mind you, i've never even said hello to this guy, so i only know this because he never shuts up. he's a very angry person. so maybe new girl is taking some cues from him, but he doesn't curse.

That does sound pretty unprofessional. I would normally do my darndest to never swear at work but I've been known to drop a few naughty words myself in high stress situations. Of course, I work from home and I swore AT my 4 year old (Imagine "Kate! What the f%$#??!!) I could definitely use some disciplinary action, a meeting with the boss, that was uncalled for.

I'm the least helpful person on this board.

Yeah I would have a word with her about it. If she doesn't try and tone it down then report her. There's a time and place......

I don't hear any swearing at work, at least not from people who actually work there.  I'm not aganist swearing outside the workplace, I just think it reflects very badly on the professionalism in the workplace when dealing with the public.  I guess I just happen to be lucky enough to work with a group of people who are that same view and it just doesn't happen.

Yeah but being on CC isn't invading her space.  Maybe you should just come out and tell her that everyone can hear her.  It takes way more intelligence not to swear than to just rave it out. Believe me I know. I have a terrible potty mouth and I work very hard to be professional all day.  You deserve better.