The perils of profanity in the workplace Effects of rising Healthcare costs

The MTSG View

On
business, the workplace and employee relations

December, 2007

Oh %*#@!: Profanity in the
Workplace

Admit it
You've sworn under your breathe at work at least once or twice when you were
angry or frustrated Don't beat yourself
up over it Hell, oops! Heck, we're only human But over time a steady stream
of profanity in the workplace can have far-reaching and negative consequences

Swearing
can put coworkers on the defensive, create a hostile work environment, decrease
morale, and in extreme circumstances, leave employees feeling devalued,
humiliated, and harassed Then consider
the effect that profanity may have on a company's bottom line If customers or
clients are within earshot of someone's profane tirade, they may develop a
lower opinion of your organization and may stop doing business with you
altogether

So, what
can you do if the use of profanity is rampant in your workplace? HR managers may
want to consider drafting a no-swearing policy Having such a policy, however,
is only a good idea if you intend to enforce it evenhandedly In the event that
you fire one worker for swearing on the job, but you tune out another worker's
offensive language, you run the risk of being held liable for applying your
policy in a discriminatory manner

Often
times, a common-sense approach will get you better results than the application
of a black-letter policy If you observe an increased use of profanity,
consider the reasons for it Are your employees being subjected to more stress
than they are used to? Can you alleviate those stresses? By taking a proactive
approach and recognizing that a change in behavior has occurred, you may
actually help boost morale and alleviate the stress that's leading workers to
swear

So, are
there instances when it's acceptable to swear at work? Sure, just not with a
bullhorn A recent study by a UK-based university revealed that swearing can
contribute to workers' solidarity and reduce stress These results should be
cautiously interpreted, however, because while swearing in private among
coworkers may be acceptable, when profanity is used to intimidate, humiliate,
or anger individuals, the employer could be potentially liable for harassment
or for creating a hostile work environment

For Employees
Self-Insurance May Make Cents

With the
cost of employer-sponsored health plans rising, workers may want to consider
securing private insurance The reason: self-insured plans may provide less
expensive coverage for spouses and dependents than traditional
employer-sponsored plans, especially where the employer is a small business

That's good
news for jobseekers Health insurance doesn't need to be tied to a job and they
may be eligible for reasonably priced plans In Massachusetts, for example, all individuals
are required to carry health insurance by the end of the year, and through the
Commonwealth Connector, individuals can examine income-sensitive plans that may
be right for them Those in the market for private health insurance should
check out ehealthinsurancecom (http://wwwhealthquote360com) for access to a
large selection of available plans and the option of getting a quote on what
the out-of-pocket costs will be

A word of caution, however: While
individual plans may result in lower monthly premiums, they may carry higher
deductibles Also, read the exclusion provisions in private policies very
carefully because they may exclude common conditions, such as diabetes or high
cholesterol, from coverage

Selecting a health insurance plan
is a personal decision Even where the plan is employer-sponsored, workers
should weigh the benefits of going with a traditional health maintenance
organization (HMO), versus a high-deductible plan, such as a preferred provider
organization (PPO) For instance, a high-deductible plan may be a good option
for someone who is healthy, while a plan with a lower deductible or no
deductible at all may be a smarter choice for an individual who has a
pre-existing condition Also, individuals who don't like having a primary care
doctor may find that a PPO is a better option because it cuts out the need to
see their primary care physician every time they need a referral

Employers should make available
materials that thoroughly explain their workers' options Also, they should
consider offering a health savings account, through which employees can
contribute pre-tax dollars to an annual fund that they can apply toward medical
costs, including co-payments and prescriptions

The New Take
on Time Off

Progressive
companies today are clued in to the "work-life" balance issue for employees
They know that managing a home in which the husband and wife work, where young
children need care and in some cases where an elderly parent has moved in, is
challenging When it isn't done well the distraction can affect an employee's
job performance So savvy employers try to be flexible

Then
there's the law Under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA),
employers with 50 or more workers within a 75-mile radius must provide up to 12
weeks of unpaid leave for the birth and care of a newborn child, an adoption,
to care for an immediate family member who suffers from a serious health condition,
or where the worker must be absent due to his or her own serious health
condition That assumes the employee has worked 1,250 hours in the previous 12
months

In
addition, state law may afford workers varied entitlement to time off In Rhode Island, private
employers with 50 or more workers who have worked 1,560 hours in the past year
must provide 13 weeks of unpaid leave in any two calendar years In Massachusetts, employers
with 50 or more employees must allow 24 hours of leave during any 12-month
period for employees to participate in the school activities of their children,
to accompany children to routine medical appointments, or to accompany an
elderly relative to routine medical appointments

Legal
compliance is just one, albeit important, reason to provide time off Employers
with creative flextime, job-sharing, telecommuting, or part-time employment
options just may have happier, more productive employees

Many
employers have done away with the traditional time off bank, which was generally
divided into sick, vacation, and personal days It's not uncommon nowadays for
workers to have one bank of time from which they can take time off for
virtually any reason This may actually curb a worker's desire to call in sick
when he or she is playing hooky Also, employers may want to institute a
floating holiday policy or rotating holiday schedule to ensure that every
worker gets a fair shake concerning sought-after days off In addition,
employers with veteran employees on staff may want to increase their vacation
time as a reward for their loyalty over the years

By taking
a creative approach to handling requests for time off, you can put greater
flexibility and control in hands of your workers, and that's something that is
paramount to achieving work/life balance

Office Party Hearty

The holiday office party was once a
raucous occasion that put careers and reputations in peril While the revelry
continues, the lamp-shade-as-drunken-late-night-party-hat has gone out of
style Still, every year people go over the top and legends are born Make the
most of the time with your coworkers and don't let that be you

Plan ahead If you know your boss will be attending, give some
thought to what you'll talk about with him or her Show more of yourself than
your office skills Engage in an intelligent conversation Show a sense of
humor Be inquisitive You may end up getting more face time with senior
management or important clients

Make a new connection Find someone whom you work with but barely
know They'll have more time at a party to talk about family and interests than
they would during the work day Jump in when you see a friend speaking with
someone you don't know well

Circulate It's a party, not an interview Make a mental note of
people in attendance with whom you'd definitely like to chat After you've
spent some meaningful time with one, move on to the other If a "monopolizer"
latches on to you, deftly invite another person in to your conversation, then
slip out

Watch the eggnog Telling off the boss Groping a colleague
Slurred Karaoke Dumping the hors d'oeuvres Chasing people with mistletoe
Just a few of the career moves people have made while drunk at office parties