18 SCHIMPFEN IM BERUF Business Spotlight
What a wally!
Most of us have to work with people we find difficult.
Swearing about them to friends, and possibly close
colleagues, can relieve stress. Just make sure everyone
in the room is comfortable with your choice of language.
Again, we provide you with a few polite alternatives.
Did you know?
Research published in the Journal of Language and Social Psychology sug-
gests that many people hold unconscious biases against people who
swear a lot. They automatically assume that such people are less
intelligent and cannot be trusted. Which is strange, given that other
research shows that people who swear are generally more honest
than people who don’t. Confused? Basically, swearing is complex.
You will need to know your audience before you let off steam.Strong
Clive: So, he asked me to go
to the office at 5 a.m. to
give him the docu-
ments. And then the
wanker wasn’t even
there.
Louise: He sounds like an
arsehole.
Clive: And he wouldn’t pay
for my taxi.
Louise: What a stingy bastard.
But he’s also our most
important client!
Strong
Julie: Mark can be a bit of a
dick sometimes.
Manos: What’s he done now?
Julie: He wants us to rework
our design completely.
By Monday.
Manos: Yeah, that is a dick
move.Mild
John: I’m going to New York
for the meeting!
Anne: You lucky bugger!