Swearing In The Workplace

Swearing in the workplace is becoming more of an issue for businesses of all sizes and types as swearing becomes more normalised in society. But is swearing in the workplace ever acceptable? How do you handle employees swearing in the workplace?

We are here with the answers for you, guiding you through whether swearing in the workplace is acceptable and how you should handle employees' swearing in the workplace.

 

Is Swearing In The Workplace Acceptable?

Generally, swearing is not acceptable in the workplace, especially if employees are swearing at one another, supervisors are swearing at their team, or employees swearing at customers and clients. While swearing is more accepted in society these days, many people still find it offensive, so it is best to avoid swearing in the workplace.

We need to consider that some cultures are against swearing and be mindful of this when conducting ourselves in the workplace. There are no specific laws about swearing in the workplace, but that doesn't mean swearing in the office is a free-for-all.

In some contexts, though, swearing in the workplace can be acceptable. For example, if you are swearing in frustration when a computer crashes, it is considered acceptable. However, swearing in a public area is often viewed as unacceptable.

 

Should Employees Be Allowed To Swear In The Workplace?

Ultimately, this is a personal decision that you need to make for your business. You should think about the swear words used and whether these would be considered offensive or inappropriate language, considering how this might impact other employees in your team. There might be a swear word or two that you deem acceptable to be used in frustrating situations, but there is rarely an appropriate situation for employees to swear at one another.

Swearing at each other, especially with the intention to offend, can contribute to a negative workplace culture, causing employees to look for other roles. You might find it impacts relationships between employees and leave people feeling upset and offended at work.

When deciding if employees should be allowed to swear in the workplace, you should think about all the negative implications and create clear guidelines. You can include conversations with your employees to ensure everyone agrees on acceptable workplace conduct and the repercussions of swearing in the workplace.

 

Can Employees Be Dismissed For Swearing In The Workplace?

In some circumstances, an employee can be dismissed for swearing in the workplace. However, swearing is not listed as a valid reason by the Fair Work Regulations for dismissing an employee. Firing an employee simply for swearing can be classed as an unfair dismissal claim, which could leave you with a legal case to deal with. If the swearing is part of a larger or ongoing issue, where the language is used to offend customers or other employees, then it can be grounds for dismissal.

When looking at whether employees can be fired for swearing, there are a few things you need to consider, which we have outlined below.

 

The Context

You need to consider the context when the swearing has happened. Was it out of frustration when a file crashed, or an employee stubbed their toe? In these cases, the occasional swearing is not grounds for dismissal. However, regularly swearing in front of to clients is unacceptable.

When creating your swearing policy, you should consider the contexts of swearing and offering examples so employees know where swearing is and isn't acceptable.

 

The Behaviour

The behaviour surrounding the swearing also needs to be considered. Were they trying to intimidate while swearing? Were they aggressive? Were they directing it at a specific person with the intent to offend? Depending on the language used, this could be grounds for dismissal.

When considering their behaviour, it's worth considering the intent behind the swearing, too, as to whether they intended to upset, scare, or offend other colleagues or clients.

 

The Employer Policy

Finally, you need to consider any policies you have in place about swearing. Your employee policies should be put in place across the board, regardless of the people involved. You also want to have your employee policy clearly stated in contracts and around your office so employees are aware of the policy to avoid breaching it.

 

What To Do If An Employee Swears In The Workplace

An employee's swearing at work does not have to be an instant dismissal but, in many cases, an opportunity to train and reinforce boundaries at work. We have a few ways that you can handle an employee swearing in the workplace, outlined below.

 

Establish Boundaries

First, you need to establish clear boundaries with your employees about swearing, offensive behaviour, and language. It needs to be clear to everyone what language and behaviour is acceptable in the workplace and what is not.

The best way to do this Is to create a policy and uphold it with all of your employees. A code of conduct is an excellent way to do this, informing employees of the standards expected and the consequences for breaching this code. All employees should be required to sign this code of conduct, and you might want to update it when needed, should any additions be required.

 

Lead By Example

Leadership is an important part of company culture, and you should ensure that all of your senior management and supervisors exemplify the professional behaviour that is expected in your company. This allows the behaviour to flow to the rest of the staff, setting the tone for your business.

It is up to you as the employer to set the tone for the entire business, so be sure that everyone in your company is leading by example. This isn't just to maintain political correctness but to prevent obscene language from causing damage to the company, like with court cases and discrimination claims.

 

Address Issues Privately And Promptly

When an incident occurs, how you handle it is very important. You want to address it privately, quickly, and impartially to ensure you can resolve it quickly. This might look different depending on your company, but ideally, you want a private and confidential conversation with the employee involved. This will allow you to understand the context, intent, and circumstances behind their words and how best to proceed.

No two situations are the same, so you need to understand the wider situation before jumping to conclusions. Once you have understood the situation, you can share the company's expectations for respectful communication and why a respectful and inclusive environment benefits everyone.

This conversation can be uncomfortable to have, and you might deal with frustration or anger from the employee, but you need to deal with the issue quickly to prevent it from happening again or more employees getting upset by the swearing.

 

Provide Training And Support

When necessary, you can provide training and support for offensive language. These training sessions aren't designed to single anyone out but to remind all of your employees about the importance of a professional and inclusive workspace. You might choose to run the training sessions yourself or invite an external team in to run them for you, ensuring that your staff are provided with accurate information.

When running these sessions, keep in mind how swearing and other offensive language can ingrain prejudices and practices already in place, which will not serve to improve your workplace culture. There is a balancing act with these sessions, as you want to teach the value of respectful language and different approaches to swearing without seeming condescending to your team. This is where inviting a third party for the sessions can be useful.

It is also worth training senior managers to deliver these sessions and how they can help ensure the code of conduct is maintained across their teams. Within the sessions, it's worth offering a space for employees to express their grievances without needing to let out their frustrations by swearing. How this is done can vary depending on your business, but you could choose to have someone dedicated to listening to their concerns and frustrations, allowing every employee to feel listened to and respected.

 

Discipline Where Needed

Discipline is a vital part of handling someone's swearing at work. You should investigate complaints as soon as they come in and offer a progressive approach to discipline. Informal discussions and reminders about your code of conduct are a good place to start before moving into serious penalties if the swearing continues.

How you choose to discipline swearing and inappropriate language will vary from company to company, but you could include written warnings, training sessions, or other measures you think are appropriate. Whatever you decide, it needs to be consistent. You need to ensure that the disciplinary action is the same across the board, whether it is a senior manager or a new worker who swears. The discipline process should be explained to employees, too, so they know what the repercussions of swearing are.

 

Handling Swearing In The Workplace

Swearing in the workplace is generally not acceptable, even when you are frustrated. Handling swearing and inappropriate language will vary, but by using a clear code of conduct, consistent disciplinary action, and offering training and room for discussion, you can eliminate this language from your company and create a positive workplace culture.