This is several months old and may have already been posted here, but someone sent it to me and I found it interesting:

Serial swearers take heart: Profanity in the workplace can be a morale booster and inspire a sense of team spirit.

It depends, of course, on how it’s done and at what levels. “Social” or “annoyance” swearing can be effective in many office and workplace environments while vulgar or abusive cursing should never be allowed, according to a recent study.

And by no means should employees ever use profanity in front of customers, according to the study published in the U.K.-based Leadership and Organization Development Journal.

Yehuda Baruch, a management professor at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, U.K., and graduate student Stuart Jenkins found that “apparent misbehavior can serve an organization well.” Taboo language, they said, can manifest itself in solidarity that helps create a much more pleasurable and productive place to work.

It’s no secret here that I’m a police officer, and a ranking one at that. I’ve seen - and participated in - many a roll call that got downright insane in a way that would make most of mainstream corporate America cringe, from pounding rookies without mercy to verbally beating up on anyone on the shift who had made a mistake of some sort, no matter how bad that particular officer may feel about how he or she screwed up. And a lot of the language used is rude, crude and, uh, socially unacceptable.

There is no mercy.

We all know that nobody can kick you when you’re down like your fellow officers. Ask any cop. And we’ve all been there. Me included.

So.....according to this study, how do the ladies feel about this? I mean, in today’s politically correct world the risk of offending a fellow female employee can be is one that most of us don’t want to take. But, wait. It’s really not that simple anymore:

The study also points to gender issues and an apparent double standard of men’s swearing compared with women’s cursing. “Female swearers are often perceived to be of a low moral standing,” the researchers noted. Men, on the other hand, can generate reverence from swearing, though they tend to tone down the use of profanity in front of women.

It turns out, however, that women tend to swear more in mixed company as a means of asserting themselves and preventing the conversation from being male-dominated.

Trust me, most females, police officers or otherwise, can handle themselves quite well these days, thank you. The exceptions are, of course, those who can and will use any excuse to find offense, and there is no shortage of those out there.

Now, that being said, I have to say that most officers will tone themselves down (somewhat) when there are female colleagues present and if they don’t one or more of the guys will make it clear to them that their mouth is unbecoming. Some things will never change (I hope) regardless of profession.

Don’t get me wrong.....I’m not endorsing the use of bad language in any shape or form, but in today’s world it IS a reality and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. Unfortunately.

In the meantime, don’t panic over a few bad words at work. It could be worse. Your employees could be giving each other the cold shoulder instead of dogging each other in good spirited if somewhat vulgar fun.

Which would you choose for productivity?