Swearing is something that many of us do from time to time, some more often than others. Often, when we swear, it is not at home but in our work environment and sometimes we use swear words without even thinking or realizing we have done it. Everything from annoyance to frustration can result in expletives, and according to a recent study, workers in offices swear an average of 55 times per week.

There are all sorts of things that office workers have to cope with, from learning how to navigate technology to dealing with other workers with whom they simply don't get along. Some office workers also have to deal with members of the public, outside agencies, and, of course, managers. Naturally, all these things can lead to frustration and once the frustration sets in, it can be difficult to bite your tongue and stop yourself from swearing.

What Have the Studies Shown?

One recent study that was carried out in the UK showed that 11 percent of employees claimed to have heard at least 25 expletives at work each day. In addition, close to 20 percent of those surveyed said that they tried to be careful about the colorful language while in the workplace. A further 12 percent admitted to saying whatever they wanted to at work. According to the survey results, some swear words proved to be more popular than others, with the f-bomb being the most common swear word.

Many would think that the members of staff most likely to use expletives at work would be those at ground level, as they are often the ones that end up dealing with the most frustrating situations, including trying to deal with managers. However, according to figures, it is not workers at ground level who tend to do the most swearing at work but middle management workers. In fact, according to the survey figures, nearly 30 percent of workers said that it was their managers who tended to use foul language in the workplace.

Some Reasons Why People Swear at Work

So, why do people swear at work? Well, according to experts, swearing is something that has a positive impact on our physical and mental health. This is because it allows people to release their pent-up anger and frustrations in a relatively healthy way compared to some other options. In addition, some people swear when they are telling jokes and stories, and for some, it becomes part and parcel of their workplace culture because so many others do it. Some may even swear in order to stand out and attract attention, according to some experts.

However, one thing to bear in mind is that the study figures did take into consideration some swear words that are pretty tame in today's society, so the situation with swearing may not be as bad as it appears at first glance.