Not in good humour!

Shock talk

Workplace etiquette also includes being polite to one another. Many people in the City complain that they are subjected to verbal abuse commonly at workplaces. 

Swear words, when used frequently, can be very demoralising and most people claim that they are too shocked to react at that moment. However, there are workplaces which do not believe in a rigid decorum and some of the swear words are part of a regular conversation. Metrolife asked people in the City if such behaviour was acceptable in a professional set-up?

Tejaswini L Rao, a government employee says, “We work with people from lower socio-economic backgrounds. What is considered as rude by us is their regular way of talking. Initially, it most definitely shocks you as you find their language too rough, but day in and day out when you hear the same tone, you learn to give it back. They are not literate enough to understand us, so communication lapses are common place in most government offices, and women invariably bear the brunt.”

Shockingly abusive language is not restricted only to government offices. Lorna D’Mello, an employee in the insurance sector, says, “I had a boss, who said to me in a meeting that I didn’t work well and used an extremely offensive swear word on me. At first, I brushed the comment aside as I didn’t know what it meant. Later, when I asked a colleague and he explained it to me, I was enraged! I confronted him and said that I will not accept such language in the future.” However, there are others like Gauri Kamath, an artist, who says that abuse words are used at workplaces in good humour.

“Most people just ignore it or revert with another swear word. People generally don’t take offence as such workplaces are really casual and unless and until you are from a small town and have never heard the word, will you be shocked by the language.”

Sushma V, an IT professional, says that foul language is not used at her workplace. “I have never been subjected to such abuse and I don’t think it goes well in a professional set-up. There exists a way of putting a point across and crossing that line is simply unacceptable. I would not take it very well if I am not given respect at my workplace,” she added.