Office workers swear an average of 55 times a week.
A new survey has found frustrated staff say or overhear offensive language about 11 times every day.
Middle management use bad language the most, while those working in catering swear the least.
The research, carried out in UK offices, found 25% of workers say they rarely hold back on bad language.
Just 19% said they try to never swear around colleagues.
These are the most commonly used swear words at work, according to British telecoms firm 4Com:
- F**k – 68%
- S**t – 58%
- B****y – 35%
- B******s – 31%
- P*** Off- 30%
- B*****d – 29%
- T**t – 24%
- A******e – 22%
- D**k – 21%
- B***h – 20%
- W****r – 20%
- C**t – 19%
- A**e – 15%
- C**k – 11%
- S**t – 9%
Psychotherapist, Dr Jo Gee, said "swearing can be beneficial, as the process of swearing is often cathartic".
The study found people who swear are more likely to be thought of as honest and credible.
“That said, swear words often include a range of taboo words... so this is part of why people find them offensive", Dr. Gee said.
Here are Jo's top tips to help you stop swearing at work:
- Most swearing is linked to anger, so when something riles you up, take a long deep breath before reacting. This might just give you enough time to respond more appropriately.
- If you can feel yourself getting worked up, where possible, take yourself out of the situation briefly. Even just going to the bathroom and taking a few minutes to yourself can have a huge effect.
- If you often find yourself using offensive language when telling stories, or when chatting to colleagues, try and think of a couple more polite synonyms beforehand so you’ve got them in mind during the conversation. For example, switching out ‘what the f**k’ with ‘what the heck’.
