AIBU: swearing ban at work

[JammieJones]

We’ve all recently been moved around offices and I’ve ended up in an office which has a swearing ban. I’d been there 2 hours when I was told by member of staff that she doesn’t like swearing and doesn’t want it in her office. I hadn’t sworn she was just letting me know.

We are the same level at work and after asking other members of staff who’ve worked with her for a long time she really really hates swearing and pulls people up on it.

Fair enough she doesn’t want people screaming fucking cuntbadger across the office but crap, damn and bloody are also on the banned list.

I realise I’ve come into “her” office but AIBU to think she can’t police other adults language (especially as we are all the same grade). I don’t particularly like the egg sandwiches she eats every day but I’m not going to ban them!

OP you said at the beginning that she told you the “rule” before you had sworn, then a couple of posts later you said I don’t appreciate being told LANGUAGE by another adult when I’m in the middle of a conversation with someone else.

So, did you end up swearing and being told off, or did you just see her say this to someone else?

Also, I am very interested in this list- is it laminated on the wall? Or on your company intranet? Are the words all written with ** or in code like “the C-Word”? How did she cope with typing it, did she have to ask someone else?

Talking of swearing, the other week I was in the normally very serene environment of the Blood Donation waiting room when a man started kicking off about something to do with the questions they asked and shouted “tell the fucking cunts upstairs that these cunts down here keep asking me the same fucking questions”. The nurse who was dealing with him said “Sir, please, there are LADIES present”.

I was more offended by her assumption that ladies have delicate little ears and sensibilities than I was by him swearing!

I would stick to mild swearing eg 'blimey' 'damn' and if she pulls you up on it, ask her what authority she has for doing so. I can't see that any manager is going to make an issue of it and I'm sure everyone else in the office must be sick of her being fucking precious by now.

Notcopingwellhere, you raise important questions...

It's not professional to be swearing at work so I can't see the issue.

HiJenny, the issue is someone policing another adult's speech. She doesn't manage the OP or control/own the office.