When it comes to swearing at work, one sex tends to drop a few more dollars in the company swear jar than the other: women.
According to a new study by Wrike, a work management platform out of the U.S., 60 per cent of women admitted to swearing while on the job, compared to only 55 per cent of men.
But when men do curse, they tend to use colourful language at a higher frequency than women.
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“Some people say sitting is the new smoking, others would say it’s actually swearing,” the report reads. “In a time where working from home is common, polos and khakis are replacing suits and ties, and cursing like a sailor is seen as an expression of passion for your work, the fine line between work and home grows thinner and thinner.”
Researchers surveyed 1,542 U.S. workers about language and informality in the workplace and found that the majority of people (57 per cent) swear while at work. However, 41 per cent feel that it is too casual and unprofessional while 39 per cent say it causes awkward moments.
Breaking it down further, almost half admit to swearing only occasionally at the old nine-to-five compared to a quarter of those surveyed who say they swear daily.
And forget doing it over email because 94 per cent of employees say they tend to use their sailor language more during face-to-face conversations.
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But the swearing culture rarely leaves the office during work hours. The majority of employees say they swear among their peers (80 per cent) while 75 per cent say they do so among their closest colleagues. The vast majority (62 per cent), however, say they never use their potty mouth around or in front of clients.
Despite the taboo that continues to surround curse words, a previous study in 2015 found that people who swear actually have greater overall language fluency.
Researchers involved in that study say people who swear understand the expressive nature of the words they use, which implies that the speaker has greater linguistic skills.
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