Roofers using bad language

[27Maisie27]

I feel like I’m being silly but I’ve just been in the garden, hanging out washing and the two roofers, working on a neighbour’s house, are talking to each other loudly, using the words fuck, cunt, wanker, areshole, bollocks etc

They are working for the council - if I report them, will I be identified and face repercussions? Or shall I ignore it, it’s only for a few days?

I live in a quiet area with several elderly residents and people with young children, and I am finding it offensive, and I’m sure I’m not alone. It’s a lovely day here (north west) and I am reluctant to spend any time outside because of this.

Christ, I sound like a wet lettuce!

Don't be ridiculous. You are being a pearl clutcher.

I'd only report them if they were not doing their job and were directing their swearing at you or at other passers-by.

@27Maisie27 I'm with you. The lack of respect for other people is just depressing and so are people on MN mocking you and telling you to get over yourself. Why do we have to be so mean?

I don't know if this is generational.

I love a good swear within the confines of my home or with friends...or even on Mumsnet !. I don't eff and jeff at work (or again, perhaps only with colleagues I'd call friends in informal situations). Are we not allowed to care about older neighbours or young children?

I bloody hate workmen behaving like yobs and feeling entitled to do it. It is intimidating and horrible.

Why do we have ave to accept the lowest standards, or mock people who don't like it?

Not Karens or pearl clutchers or wet lettuces or whatever... just normal people who care about our community I think?

Feel so out of step in this world. It's so aggressive and unpleasant these days.

However if you ask them to stop swearing and they don't then you have a reason to contact their employers

First you ask (tell) them to stop

That goes for most things

It's the usual way to go about things

Not the nasty snidey reporting directly to their employers without talking to them first. That's just more vile than the swearing itself.

This would mightily annoy me too. I probably would call up to them and tell them to tone it down. Mind you, I do that in restaurants and pubs too - I don't want to listen to people (usually ALWAYS men) effing and blinding because their limited vocabulary and overall intelligence means they have to use expletives instead of a natural pause in the construction of their sentences.

I've only ever been told to get fucked once, btw. Maybe it's just going in with the right amount of confidence, without sounding like a schoolteacher.

Regardless of others feeling it's 'policing' someone's use of language, I feel it's more about asking other people to moderate anti-social behaviour - repeated strong swearing isn't nice in a public place. It sours a nice social interaction when you're sitting there with a friend or your Gran, enjoying a pleasant time, and there's some gobby loudmouth going at the effs and cees right next to you.

A LOT of people have NO idea how their behaviour affects others - usually because they're selfish and don't care.

@SodOffbacktoaibu

Point is OP won't ask them to stop

A neighbour did and they have

Quite a simple standard and effective solution

Yes. Leave them alone ffs

I was just going to say exactly the same. Why on earth wound you report people for using language thst you don't like?

OP @27Maisie27

Needs to address her own issues of why on earth she didn't have the confidence to ask them to just stop swearing

This seems to be the main issue

I would ask them to consider their surroundings and to tone down their language.

Sadly, there is too much, completely unnecessary bad language nowadays.

My neighbour reported an assistant in the Co-op. They were behind the counter and shouting across to two colleagues using F-this and F-that with customers at the counter. Wait to see what comes from that one.

I've just read the OP's update and I think I would much prefer the swearing than having to suffer Smooth Radio 😆😆

Because as pp have pointed out its anti social behaviour.

Well yes, good outcome but people calling her allsorts on this thread show why she might not have the confidence to speak up I reckon. Asking a bunch of men shouting fuck and cunt to stop takes confidence and we don't know how it will go. They might say sorry and stop,.they might call you Karen, they might get aggressive.

She shouldn't have to because they should have some flipping consideration and standards.

I would report and ask the manager to speak to them

Maybe the neighbour read this thread.

@SodOffbacktoaibu Getting aggressive to being asked to stop swearing loudly is when you report them.

Its really unpleasant to have vile language imposed on you anywhere, never mind at home

Op isn't being a wet lettuce or a Karen to ask them to stop. karen is a misogynistic term designed to get women to stay quiet. I don't know why mumsnetters think it is ok to use it.

@SodOffbacktoaibu

I mean OP needs to learn that she has every right to ask them to stop in the first instance

OP needs to learn her self worth and that she has every right to ask them to stop

OP has learnt a valuable lesson today in that her neighbour asked them to stop and they did

So OP you can do that too next time

Agreed! No wonder society is so unpleasant if no one cares about stuff like this anymore. Why are people on here happy for roofers to swear at the top of their voices, and yet you'd be horrified, if you went in to a hospital, and the nurses were effing and blinding at the tops of their voices, ie 'Sally, fetch me a bed pan, that fucker in bed 3 wants a piss'. Really doesn't sound nice, does it?

I wouldn't report, no. But just have a quiet word with them directly? Or speak to the neighbors whose house they are working on and see if they can tell them to reign it in.

I'm asking those posters who find the OP pathetic if they are allowed to turn the air blue at their place of work? Would they be happy going into a restaurant where the wait staff were walking around saying cunt or wanker at the top of their lungs? Would they be comfortable if the staff in a supermarket were doing the same, or a doctors surgery, or the dentist, or an insurance brokers - basically anywhere that people are employed to do a job of work. I think we all know that the answer is a firm "no". These men are employees of the local authority. The fact they're roofers (and men) doesn't give them some magical amnesty from the the usual rules of employment.

But @BansheeOfTheSouth and @KittenPause I know what you're saying but running the risk of having a group of men acting aggressively towards you is precisely why some people will not confront them directly in the first place.

It's a gamble and intimidating. I don't blame any woman for being cautious.

@ginasevern I would be irritated by any behaviour that was unnecessarily loud, irrespective of what it was. I rarely swear but have no objection to people who do. So in answer to your question, yes, I would find it annoying if someone was swearing loudly in a restaurant or supermarket, but because of the volume not what was being said and I would be equally irritated by loud music. My understanding from the OP's first post is that it was the language being used by the roofers more than the volume that she didn't like.

Agreed. We don't have a low bar for behaviour in our local authority we have a high bar. These people represent us to the public. They would be well aware it wasn't acceptable and their manager would want to know

Just say loudly 'Excuse me gents, there are ladies present' and they'll soon keep a check on themselves. No need to report.

I think you've misunderstood my post. I was asking whether some of the posters on this thread would object to employees (not customers) in restaurants, supermarkets or estate agents (for example) using the words cunt or wanker in front of clients. I'm not talking about the volume, I'm talking about the bad language. Are you honestly saying that you wouldn't mind hearing staff using this sort of language repeatedly and in front of you?