swearing in the workplace - wrike workplace behavior survey 2016 results (part 1)

Summary, September 2016

Workplace Behavior Survey

https://www.wrike.com


In September 2016, Wrike surveyed 1,542 workers in the US in a variety of roles and industries

including marketing, IT, R&D, finance, and human resources about their workplace behavior,

including the prevalence of swearing in the workplace, common sentiment toward swearing

in the workplace, and how the behavior of others in the office influences our own behavior.

Wrike Workplace Behavior Survey

Read on!

http://www.wrike.com


When it comes to swearing in the workplace,

the top sentiments are:

• It is too casual and feels unprofessional (41%)

• It causes awkward moments (39%)

• It doesn’t make a difference to me (36%)

• It can result in hurt feelings (30%)

Some of the other views include: it reflects

the passion our team has for their work

(30%), it contributes to negative culture

(29%), it makes conveying ideas and feelings

easier (28%), and it increases the potential

for hostility between colleagues (27%).

It is too casual and feels unprofessional

It causes awkward moments

It doesn’t make a difference to me

It can result in hurt feelings

It reflects the passion our team has for their work

It contributes to negative culture

It makes conveying ideas and feelings easier

It increases the potential for hostility between colleagues

It makes the workplace more fun

It leads to other inappropriate behavior

It strengthens the relationships between team members

It contributes to positive culture

41%39%

36%

30% 30% 29% 28% 27%24%

22% 21%

11%

Views on swearing in the workplace



Do you swear in the workplace?

• 57% of respondents admit to swearing in the workplace

• 43% of respondents do not swear in the workplace

Among the respondents that answered ‘No’ to swearing in the workplace, the top two explanations are:

• Out of respect for my colleagues (51%)• It’s against my values to swear (45%)• Only 4% of respondents claimed not

to swear because it would result in reprimanding

Among the respondents that answered ‘No’ to swearing in the workplace, 36% are bothered when others swear at work and 20% would consider filing an official complaint due to colleagues’ use of swearing.

Swearing in the workplace



For participants who don’t swear in the workplace:

• 63% have colleagues that swear openly in the office

Yes

Yes

No

No

63%

93%

38%

7%

Swearing among colleagues

For participants who do swear in the workplace:

• 93% have colleagues that swear openly in the office

This seems to indicate that having colleagues who swear openly in the workplace is associated with a higher likelihood that you yourself also swear.



How often do you swear in the workplace?

• Occasionally - I swear casually a few times a week (49%)

• Daily - a couple times a day (25%)• Rarely - usually accidentally, but it

happens (16%) • Frequently - it’s part of our culture at my

workplace to let ‘em fly (11%)

Daily - a

couple

times...

Occasionally -

I swear...

Rarely -

usually...

Frequently -

it’s part of...

25%

49%

16%

11%

Frequency with which workers swear

Frequency with which workers swear



Where are you most likely to swear?

• My desk (67%)• Private meetings (55%)• Happy hours (38%)• Kitchen / Break room (36%)• 28% of respondents report they swear

‘anywhere’

Kitchen /

Break Room

Face-to-face

convos

My Desk

On the

phone

Anywhere

Hallway

None

Happy Hours

On our

workflow tool

Team

Meetings

Over email

Private

Meetings

Over instant

messanger

36%

94%

28%

23%

2%

38%

3%

30%

8%

55%

30%

67%

36%

Where workers swear

What communication channel(s) do you swear on?

• Face-to-face convos (94%)• On the phone (36%)• Over instant messenger (30%)• Over email (8%)• On workflow tool (3%)

While people seem to be very comfortable swearing in person, they seem less willing to do so where the language will exist long-term in a recorded trail (messenger, email, etc.).



Who do you swear in front of?

• Peers (80%)• Closest colleagues (75%)• Managers (55%)• Direct reports (39%)• Executives (30%)

Peers

Frequently

My closest

colleagues

Rarely

Direct

reports

Executives

I don’t interact

with clients

Managers

Never

80%

2%

30%

39%

8%

55%

62%

75%

28%

Who workers swear in front of

Do you swear in front of clients?

• Frequently (2%)• Rarely (28%)• Never (62%)

66% of respondents say they are more likely to swear if their boss swears, while 25% report ‘it doesn’t matter.’

41% of respondents say they are more likely to swear in front of colleagues that are close to their age group, while 54% report that age is not a factor.



Do you prefer working in an environment in which swearing is present?

• It doesn’t matter (54%)• Yes (35%)• No (11%)

Yes

I don’t care

either way

I’m very

happy with it

No

I’m somewhat

happy with it

I’m somewhat

unhappy

with it

I’m very

unhappy

with it

It doesn’t

matter

35%

35%

44%

1%

54%

4%

11%

16%

Environmental preferences

How do you feel about the language used at your workplace?

• I’m very happy with it (44%)• I don’t care either way (35%)• I’m somewhat happy with it (17%)• Only .6% reported being very unhappy

with the language used at their workplace

33% of respondents would not consider accepting a position in an organization in which swearing was strictly banned.



Millennials (18-29) –

• 66% report swearing in the workplace

– 13% swear frequently– 28% swear daily– 49% swear occasionally– 10% swear rarely

Gen X, Baby Boomers (30+) –


– 10% swear frequently– 23% swear daily– 50% swear occasionally– 17% swear rarely

80% of millennials are more likely to swear if their boss swears, while only 61% of Gen X, Baby Boomer workers say the same.Only 22% of millennials are bothered when others swear in the workplace, while almost twice as many (40%) Gen X, Baby Boomer workers say the same.

Millennials v Gen X, Baby Boomers



When it comes to swearing in the workplace, the top sentiments among millennials are:

• It doesn’t make a difference to me (45%)• It makes conveying ideas and feelings

easier (39%)• It reflects the passion our team has for

their work (36%)• It strengthens the relationships between

team members (34%)

It causes

awkward

moments

It makes

conveying id...

It is too

casual and...

It doesn’t

make a...

It doesn’t

make a...

It reflects the

passion...

It contributes

to negative...

It strengthens

the...

It can result

in hurt...

It makes the

workplace mo...

43%

39%

45%

45%

32%

34%

32%

34%

33%

36%

Millennials v Gen X, Baby Boomers (cont. 2)

When it comes to swearing in the workplace, the top sentiments among Gen X, Baby Boomers are:

• It is too casual and feels unprofessional (45%)• It causes awkward moments (43%)• It doesn’t make a difference to me (33%)• It contributes to negative culture (32%)



Do you swear in the workplace?

• Millennial execs, managers – 80% say yes• Gen X, Baby Boomer execs, managers –

56% say yes

After face-to-face, the second most common communication channel Gen X, Baby Boomer workers report swearing on is the phone (38%) followed by instant messenger (25%). Perhaps unsurprisingly, among millennials, the results are flipped; the second most common communication channel millennial workers report swearing on is instant messenger (42%) followed by the phone (31%).

Millennial men• 66% report swearing at work• 27% are bothered when others swear in the

workplace• 22% would consider filing an official complaint

due to colleagues’ use of swearing• Most swear occasionally (38%) or daily (37%)• 77% are more likely to swear if if their boss swears• 47% prefer working in an environment in which

swearing is present

Millennial women• 67% report swearing at work• 18% are bothered when others swear in the

workplace• 15% would consider filing an official complaint due

to colleagues’ use of swearing• Most swear occasionally (60%) or daily (20%)• 83% are more likely to swear if if their boss swears• 40% prefer working in an environment in which

swearing is present

Millennials v Gen X, Baby Boomers (cont. 3)

Millennial Men v Millennial Women



Women –


– 8% swear frequently

– 21% swear daily

– 53% swear occasionally

– 19% swear rarely

Men –


– 13% swear frequently

– 28% swear daily

– 46% swear occasionally

– 13% swear rarely

While more women seem to swear in the workplace than men, the men who swear in the office do it at a higher frequency than women.

Women v Men



When it comes to swearing in the workplace, the top sentiments among women are:


• It doesn’t make a difference to me (39%)• It causes awkward moments (36%)• It makes conveying ideas and feelings

easier (29%)

It doesn’t

make a...

It doesn’t

make a...

It is too

casual and...

It is too

casual and...

It causes

awkward

moments

It causes

awkward

moments

It makes

conveying id...

It reflects the

passion...

42%

39%

43%

39%

34%

29%

34%

29%

34%

36%

It contributes

to negative...

It can result

in hurt...

Women v Men (cont. 2)

When it comes to swearing in the workplace, the top sentiments among men are:


• It causes awkward moments (42%)• It doesn’t make a difference to me (34%)• It can result in hurt feelings (34%)



Tech - 59% report swearing in the workplace– 32% swear frequently or daily

Professional services - 61% report swearing in the workplace

– 42% swear frequently or daily

Finance - 62% report swearing in the workplace


Healthcare - 64% report swearing in the workplace


Government - 53% report swearing in the workplace


Education – 48% report swearing in the workplace


Yes

Yes

No

No

59%

53%

41%

47%

Swearing by industry

Government

Tech


For more articles on productivity and the workplace, visit the blog:

www.wrike.com/blog

https://www.wrike.com

http://www.wrike.com/blog

swearing in the workplace - wrike workplace behavior survey 2016 results (part 1)

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