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susans
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« on: June 19, 2006, 10:22:34 am » |
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The poll on the home page is about swearing in the office (don't forget to go click your answer!) As a sound off I thought I would post:
What did you click? (if you feel comfortable posting)
Any stories about swearing in the office?
At one point I was an office manager to a small company and every other word out of the president's mouth a 4 letter word! I never felt comfortable calling him on it so tuned him out. Besides that, there has always been swearing but not often. Usually when someone was having an extremely bad day or something went wrong and the swearing usualy wasn't that bad.
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geminigirl
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« Reply #1 on: June 19, 2006, 02:05:52 pm » |
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I once worked as a telephone sales executive (as we were called!) for a roadfreight company. We would occasionally get irate customers put through to us because their parcels hadn't been delivered for been delivered late. One time I had this very very angry man on the phone complaining that his parcel hadn't turned up - he was effing and cursing for ages for about five minutes. When I could eventually get a word in - other than trying to placate him and being talked over whilst doing that - I said, very politely, "I'm sorry, sir, I am going to hang up now as I am not paid to take this kind of abuse." Two minutes later, the General Manager came storming into the office to ask who had hung up on a Customer X. I held my hand up to it straightaway.
He then started talking at me (not to me) that I shouldn't do this kind of thing to a paying customer and anyway, why did I hang up on him.
When I told him the kind of language that had been used, he mumbled sheepishly that of course I don't have to listen to it and walked out with his tail between his legs ...
I don't mind the occasional swearing - I have two brothers, for heaven's sake! - but I do object when it's used to excess - when every other word is a swear word, and used as if it's a normal word. Well, I guess they are normal words to some people.
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misslynn
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« Reply #2 on: June 19, 2006, 05:19:28 pm » |
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As one of the few ladies in my office, the guys around here are very particular to not swear around me. They occasionally slip, which doesn't bother me, but I do appreciate their attention to keep it clean around me. As for customers, over my years I can't count how many times I've had conversations where 75% of the words were 4-letters and yes, I've had to hang up on a couple of them. I'd tell them, "I'm going to have to ask you to refrain from cursing or I will have to end this call." Sometimes they calm down, sometimes they don't, and if they don't then I hang up. As geminigirl said, we don't get paid to take that kind of abuse.
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spitfire78
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« Reply #3 on: June 19, 2006, 05:50:47 pm » |
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I recently had a coworker (Jane) in the office who cursed terribly. You name it and she said it. Every sentence out of her mouth contained at least one curse word (and many times more than one). Coworker #2 (Sally) and I were planning to speak to her about it (just waiting for the right moment), when something else cropped up while I was on vacation that prompted Sally to go to our supervisor. It took months of finagling but finally Jane has hit the road - YEAH! Now peace reigns in our office. Oh, occasionally one of us will let out with a sh** or da** when the computer crashes or something like that. But that is minor compared to the bombardment we were getting hit with before.
A few years ago, one of my bosses would have these screaming fits whenever I did something he didn't like. He would get in my face and scream with effing words all over the place. I was actually physically afraid of him a couple of times. None of my supervisors would do anything about it. I should have pursued it at a higher level, but I didn't. He has since calmed down and hasn't done that for a while, although I keep waiting for the hidden tiger to come out. However, if it ever happens again, I will not sit there and take it as I did before. I've learned a lot since then and my reaction would be completely different!
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saraheliza
Newbie
Posts: 12
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« Reply #4 on: June 20, 2006, 03:36:24 pm » |
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I'm an office manager in a social work office which deals with often very troubled teenagers. I hear swearing all day every day but make a clear distinction between general swearing in conversation which I don't mind and swearing AT me or my staff which I will not tolerate.
I also don't allow what I feel is sexually degrading swearing - e.g. the C*** word, which I feel is demeaning to women.
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catsmeat
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« Reply #5 on: June 30, 2006, 11:54:39 am » |
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In my last job (working for a team of salesmen) I made it quite clear that I didn't like swearing for the sake of it. I certainly utter the odd cussword from time to time, but I don't drop them into everyday conversation.
Hence, on the one occasion that I swore at one particular manager, I rendered him speechless! He'd been messing about, demanded that I stay late to finish something and ten minutes later still hadn't given me whatever it was I was supposed to be doing. At that point I got up, picked up my bag, and informed him that in a week's time I'd be gone (I was working my notice) and wouldn't be around to wipe his "backside" any more, so he'd better start sorting out his "flipping" working methods now in readiness for my replacement. And with that I walked out with my head held high. Contrite didn't even begin to describe him the next day.
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itsme_calista
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« Reply #6 on: July 08, 2006, 01:59:35 pm » |
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Had I answered this a fortnight ago then I've had said no swearing at work, however, I've noticed my MD dropping more and more "curses". Nothing very bad but enough to notice. I put some of it down to the fact that he's american, and some of the words know aren't considered as bad where he's from.
If it escalates any more I will say something to him
Cali x
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