Top 3 benefits of swearing in office

You're thinking, 'You're $%&*ing kidding me, right?' Well, we aren't. Not only is swearing in office OK, it might even help "boost your career", and there's research to back the claim.

According to Jeffrey Cohn, a CEO succession-planning expert, "Companies increasingly prefer authentic leaders. Using colourful language can play to your advantage - as long as you also demonstrate empathy and good business judgment." Cohn's not the only one extolling the advantages of the F-bombs and the A-dashes - other studies have shown that cursing not only shows your great, ahem, leadership skills, it has several other advantages. So, what are they, and what do they mean for Delhi, the land of the MCs and BCs and the undisputed cussing capital?
Benefit 1: leadership skills
Cohn's study was prompted by an ad featuring Michael Dubin, founder of an e-commerce start-up, who brags about how their razor blades are 'f***ing great' in a video that went viral. But wait, is Cohn's theory that insane? Think Gordan Ramsay and Donald Trump, who're not just known for their red-faced aggressiveness, but also their colourful language. Think back to 2004, when US vice prez Dick Cheney told a senator to go "f*** himself." His unapologetic stance (he said "it was the best thing" he'd ever done) won him many compliments.
Post the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, when Barack Obama told news anchor Matt Lauer that he was talking to experts "so I know whose a** to kick," Forbes magazine said his use of the particular term "helped to curb criticism that he was not passionate enough in his reaction to the spill." The Guardian also reported in 2006 that "36% of 308 UK senior managers and directors responded to a survey accepting swearing as part of workplace culture."
A 2005 study by Northern Illinois University asked 88 college students to evaluate two 5-minute speeches on the merits of lowering tuition fees - one that was PG, and the other with swear words. It concluded that "obscenity could impact credibility positively because it could make a speaker appear more human."
Benefit 2: Creates solidarity
Apparently, cussing is the ultimate icebreaker. Ever heard of 'social swearing'? It's a term coined by UK's Anglia University. A study by the university says that "swearing in the workplace builds camaraderie among workers and sometimes helps relieve stress". When people swear, they often express honest, genuine feelings. The taboo language helps in maintaining solidarity and to cope with stress.
Benefit 3: gender equality
Harvard Business Review's Anne Kreamer spoke about how cursing has given women a chance to penetrate male-dominated networks. A senior female attorney once told Kreamer, "Swearing gives men and women reciprocal permission to feel comfortable sharing revelations." East Anglia's study too, says "women tend to swear more in mixed company as a means of asserting themselves and preventing the conversation from being male-dominated."
Is it ok in Delhi offices?
"Anything goes in my office," says Rahul Arora*, a finance analyst in an IT firm, "When my boss gets pissed, he uses whatever abuses come to his mind." For many, it's the verbal equivalent of backslapping. Nitisha Bakshi*, 26, a lawyer, says bitching at work is common, although only in jest and rarely in front of the boss. "People call each other names jokingly, but it's never a serious insult," she says.
For Pradeep Chopra*, 23, who works with a finance company, the Cohn study holds true to some extent. "I tend to get quite aggressive and throw around words like "screw that" and "what shit" (nothing too R-rated) in meetings, or if someone tries to act smart. My superiors often walk up to me later to compliment my confidence and decisiveness." Savita Kumar*, 25, who works with an event management company, says her boss uses cuss words during motivational speeches. "It helps when my boss gets worked up, and asks us to go kick some a**" she says.