16 SCHIMPFEN IM BERUF Business Spotlight
What a team!
Swearing together can work well for a team, but only if
the team culture allows it. Here, we present language for
asking people not to swear, for apologizing for swearing
when you cause offence — and for team-bonding.
Did you know?
In her book Swearing Is Good for You: The Amazing Science of Bad Language,
neuroscientist Emma Byrne focuses on the many positive aspects of
cursing. She highlights research that suggests swearing can promote
trust and teamwork in the office. People who swear together often
trust each other, she writes. At the same time, she also warns that it
takes a lot of emotional intelligence to get the balance of appropriate
swear words right.Strong
Maeve: Sorry for the lan-
guage, but why the
fuck haven’t we seen
the design yet?
Dave: Fuck knows. They’re
so fucking useless.
Debbie: Could you tone it
down a little?
Dave: Sorry, I apologize. But
they really are worse
than useless.
Maeve: Sorry. I didn’t mean
to offend you.
Mild
Mark: Bugger! I forgot to send
out the brochures.
Sylvie: Language, Mark!
Mark: Sorry, excuse my
French!
Strong
Chris: Did you see the email
from our client?
Jim: I did. Well done, every-
one! You’re fucking
rock stars!
Chris: We fucking kicked
their asses, didn’t we?