Dirty Words at Work: An In-Depth Look at Controversial Topics Avoided in the Workplace
– A Multilateral Series by Angela L.M. Tipton and Alexander R. Tipton
Words define the very meaning of communication. Paired with symbols, expression, and gestures, words play an integral part in the way people communicate with one another. Some words have more than one meaning. Others represent things outside of their original intention.
It is when words are avoided entirely and associated with negative connotations that they become ‘dirty.’ This is where the principle behind a ‘dirty word’ begins. Once, a dirty word was only vulgar. Today a word can be labeled just as dirty when it becomes a label for a topic that is to be avoided, or worse yet, shamed.
We must first understand how and why negative connotations are placed on certain words. Only then can we fully understand how a word ceases to be a word and becomes a dirty word. How can dirty words leave a lasting impact on the way people behave, speak, and interact with one another?
Such aspects have taken over the work place and become a concern for employers and employees alike.
What are these dirty words?
Sexism, gossip, religion, family. The workplace often considers these and other so-called dirty words off-limits at work. The first two even showed up in a cultural survey at a place of work that I shall not name. Then there are other words that aren’t necessarily off-limits, but they make people uncomfortable. These include words like work/life balance, FMLA, change, culture and strategy.
These dirty words can damage trust and corrode relationships. Much as we might try, most of us suffer from our own unconscious biases. We judge people and situations based on our beliefs. Little is more catastrophic for the success of an organization. Culture can make a company strong or weak. As Peter Drucker would say, “culture eats strategy for breakfast.”
Many of these problems have been challenged with laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in the US, as well as other anti-discrimination laws. Despite these efforts, there is still a lot of room for growth in the professional world. We can’t make progress without talking about these issues, however, and that is the purpose of this series. We must make the taboo acceptable to discuss.
Looking forward, this series will explore how dirty words have come to manipulate much of the workplace and how those impacted by them see the world.
This is Dirty Words at Work.
Chapters:
- Gossip
- Family
- Gender
- Race / Ethnicity
- Age *Coming 8/12*
- Boss *Coming 8/30*
New chapters will be added frequently, check back soon!
Future upcoming chapters:
- Sex
- Religion
- Work / Life Balance
- FMLA / Parental Leave
- Pessimism / Optimism
- Change
- Culture
- Strategy
- Salary
- Health
- Diversity