It is a truth universally acknowledged that every employee, in anger or excitement, frustration or jest, must have used a cuss word in their office at some point. It is a truth far less recognized that sexually loaded words could land users in trouble under the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (Posh) Act of 2013 if a complaint is filed.
Office cultures seem divided on the use of such terms. Whether or not anyone feels offended when swearing turns the air blue, 9-to-5 work routines often have them flung around, presumably on the assumption of an empathetic pardon from all those within earshot. Yet, as India Inc turns more sensitive and sanitized, the complexities around cussing seem to have changed as well.
“You cannot police a language and people devise ways to work around it. Over the years, some of the cuss words have become normal for one not to pay heed, but then there are newer entrants which draw attention,” says Abhishek Avtans, a linguistics lecturer at Leiden University in the Netherlands. These could include words in vernacular languages or even English with a local twist, such as terms that arose on social media.
On a call, Avtans points out that today these curses have led to a larger-than-usual lament in society because we have started reading words in texts and on social media platforms.
Written expletives have greater impact because they lack a vocal intonation, feel intentional and leave a digital footprint. “The impact of a written abusive word is far worse than just listening to them. Hence, if a colleague expresses an emotion using an expletive, the impact on those around him or her is less, but if the same word is used in a message, an email or on social media, the word hits harder.”
You can almost sense a cuss word coming your way the second you drop the ball in some job roles with aggressive targets to be met. Expletives across a wider spectrum are commonly heard on trading floors and among customer-acquisition teams with hard daily goals. In such roles, disappointments are frequent and pacy, leaving little time to ponder a problem; this results in spontaneous reactions that can sound rude.
Roles aside, business houses often cultivate a self-image of language propriety at their top-deck meetings. A CXO speaks of how some top business houses have a carefully crafted image of being profanity-free, but that is often an illusion. Imprecations in the Queen’s language tend to land with less force on many of us well versed with other languages. “‘Piglet’ in English and its equivalent in Hindi hit differently,” says the CXO.
As globally-exposed and high-minded businesses try to foster work cultures that personnel from diverse backgrounds can gel with, one is trained not to use expletives that can be used to target any sub-group.
A foreigner who does not understand the local language may be offended by the tonality of an unfamiliar term. Induction programmes within Indian corporates also touch upon similar aspects, but in many cases, these protocols are often relegated to English, with regional terms somehow given space for steam let-offs among colleagues.
Cursing in the workplace has grown complex in recent times. Earlier, one was trained not to pay much heed to a boss foaming at the mouth in anger. Words that are gender-insensitive or group-belittling are appalling to younger generations, but there was a time bearing them was to fit in, perhaps even a ticket to a power club within a company.
Aditi Verma Thakur, managing partner, Aishani Partners, a professional who deals with employment-related issues, says cussing in office could be misconduct, but not all abusive words end up in violation of Posh. “It is important to understand what is Posh violation and whether a cuss word is falling within the scope of Posh abuse... If anyone complains, it is generally brought in as a breach of the code of conduct but rarely under Posh, unless the context suggests the other way.”
Nirmala Menon, founder of Interweave Consultancy, which works on work-life issues in companies, comes down strongly against the use of any expletives at work.
“If there are multiple cases against someone for using profanities, then an official complaint can get registered. You are comfortable cussing in a group because you are working under the assumption that everyone will get the message or the joke as they come from the same milieu. But workplaces are now very diverse and not all come with a similar cultural context.”
Menon recounts a case where a male boss congratulated his lady colleague for cracking a tough deal. “You had the [bleep],” he said. She found it derogatory, went to HR, and he was pulled up.
I get the protocols, but what about the loss of banter among colleagues where the mutual understanding is that cuss words have no literal meaning but are often just the perfect way to encapsulate an emotion at that instant? If colleagues are out for the evening and some expletives are used in a casual air of camaraderie, can someone get booked?
When do curses go from being innocuous to hateful? And the ones we find harmless, are they so because we have gotten so used to them that they are deemed acceptable? Dang it!
The author writes on workplaces and education at Mint.