Forgive them for they do not know what they do.

Profanity is used by children in men's bodies.

I'm in the business of protecting people(alarms, cameras, etc.) and our client relationship continues long after the sale. I have worked around some very un-professional technicians, and I do not understand how they remain employed when they curse repeatedly and continually. I have had employees myself who do such, and tend to weed them out as quickly as possible. The first amendment doesn't apply in my customer relationship.

I am @#$@@ sick and tired of this politically correct society. Women who claim sex discrimination because a guy told a dirty joke at the water cooler etc. It may surprise you that I am a 60 year old woman. I've worked with and around masons and electricians both of who would put most carpenters to shame. While there is a time and place for everything, if I hit my thumb with a hammer or drop a brick on my foot I will @##$#% say what ever I %%$# want. Also Carlin was 7 things you can't say on the radio, the vinyl came out around 1970. Great album.

Hello Mark,
I just wanted to say I enjoyed reading your article. I thought it was well written and although I have not had a problem with this myself I think people in everyday life should consider this. Even being brought up a lady and letting a few mild swear words out once in a while I have always thought it was something that belonged in our own circles and not out there for everyone. Thanks for doing your part. And as the saying goes, "you learn something new every day" I am glad I learned about you today and congratulations on all of your success. (and Theresa also)
Vicki

Very well said. I on the otherhand do electrical work in a correctional institution (You Know thats a Prison) in Florida. Now you want to hear some off the wall Language just join us some time but I have found that I can set a favorable example and even a convict will sometimes respect this. Some of the guards treat these convicts like dirt and their mouths should be washed out with soap and yet their are a few that show respect and get it in return! Their is a lot to be said for self restraint around not just customers but our fellow man. I say great to your attitude of culling the profanity!

Mark

It has nothing to do with your civil rights or living in a free country. We also live in a civilized country where decency and manners are admired. As a homeowner I do not like any language or offensive music on my job site. As a business owner I would never allow subs or anyone working for me to behave in this manner. Point well taken regarding the customer's dollars. I wish all industries, not just the building industry, would rediscover manners and decency. Nice blog!

Mark,
You hit the proverbiual nail on the head with this one. I own a drafting and design company on the east coast and we also do home theater installations. I can't count how many times i have had to tell my guys to button it up when we are at a clients house. Even caught one guy talking with the homeowner like that. No they were'nt arguing they were actually shooting the breeze so to speak. Needless to say i had to step in and let the homeonwer know that i can not allow my guy to continue on the job since he cannot keep his words clean. The homwowner was a little stunned at first but he eventually agreed it didn't belong on the job site. Nice column mark.

We've had an anti-swearing policy for years. And it makes a difference...not just to the customers but to other trades people and our employees. Our reputation has gotten around as being pleasant people to hire and ones you can trust.

The customers have said, "If I can't trust your tongue, can I trust you fully?"

They have a good point.

Let me say this: If I had a construction gang
working for me & I heard profanity, I'd reprimand
them the first time, and let it be known who they
were working for and, that I would not tolerate
profanity on (my) property/worksite. The second time I would tell the guy/guys to take their tools and get off my property and, then call the
construction Co. and, explain that I did not want
them sending any of their guys out to work for me if they couldn't use proper ENGLISH w/out
profanity! Profanity is unexcuseable!!!

I do not want to shock you, but I have heard the same seven words come out of non-carpenters.
I grew up with a salty vocabulary, and worked hard through grad school to eradicate it. Then my department chairperson told me, "your clients will appreciate your humanity if you KEEP that language." I studied to be a counselor, but became a software consultant. Low and behold, in meetings with all kinds of clients, from fortune 100 CEOs to one person office receptionists, people used language that made me blush.
As a customer, I would prefer to not hear radio stations that I find unpleasant, but then again, most of Americans like "both kinds of music, Country AND Western," just not me.

I disagree totally with the premise that guys who drop the "F" bomb (or GD) every other word are smart in any shape, form or fashion(sounds like excuse making to me). I've been affiliated with the construction industry for a number of years and refuse to allow that type of language regardless of who's around. I've asked many a sub to stop profanity or leave the job and don't tolerate it at all. Its unprofessional and continues a stereotype that should have died off long ago.

It's a true shame to the profession and to any individual that has to use profanity or chooses to use profanity for any reason. It shows a lack of good character, professional courtesy, and judgement. Shame on those who do swear and may they be convicted for their unprofessionalism in making this sound OK. Thanks for bringing this out. It really offends customers and leads to bad press for the so-called professionals.

Mark
I'm a remodeler by trade and I know 1st hand what your talking about, when the guys get together and talk or talk on the phone, they forget about the home owner or "children" being present.
I have to remind them all the time to watch the use of 4 letter words and quite frankly its irritating for me and I know for the customer.
I'm going to copy and paste your article for my guys to see hopefully it will ring home instead of me always harping about it
Thanks
Chuck

Using that kind of adjective is truely unprofessional and as a home owner I would not allow that, In fact I wouldn't hire that contractor again for the reason that he shows disrepect in my neighbor plus the fact I'd would 2nd think his job would be done professionally.

Swearing is a lack of good character and vocabulary. It should not be tolerated in any shape, form, condition, or environment. Your article gives an unthinking, no-responsibility pass to chip away from standards. Your mother would weep...

Mothers would weep! Spouses might be ashamed and who among us has been given the right to ask God to damn anyone or thing? As for the f-bomb,WELL,bathroom or YOUR bedroom please,take your pick,cause you & Co. WON'T work for me,friends,or family! Thanks Author for enlightening the work force & public.

Respectfully, I disagree. I was a union carpenter for many years. I heard the F-bomb all day long. I worked on First Stamford Place, Stamford railroad parking garage, parking garages in Hartford, Boston, Norwalk, Southington, hospital additions in Boston, the Aetna building in Hartford, Devonshire in Boston, etc. I built concrete forms; worked on pan jobs, too. Yes it was a hard job walking 4 x 4s fourteen feet high carrying 75 pounds of 5/8 plywood. Hitting a double-head 16 all day with my 22 oz Ewing gave me shoulder pain that I had to work through. Laying flat on the deck to secure the �redheads� so I could attach the safety railing was fun�..especially 47 stories up on a windy February. I skinned a few knuckles adding chamfer strips to bulkheads after the ironworkers installed the steel. Saw a few accidents on post-tension jobs when they pulled through the concrete��..so bruised, tired, cold, and alternately hot in the summer, mad at sloppy work and workers�..I still didn�t feel the need to spew gutter language.

All day long, carpenters, laborers, ironworkers, electricians cussed their tools, equipment, the weather, and each other. It never changed a thing; just made the workplace a little less pleasant place to work. Most would say �You know, I never use these words at home.�

Later, before retiring to Florida I worked for a short while on the Foxwoods Casino job in management. Heard a bit of profanity there, too but was able to put a stop to it. I asked one fellow if he would like to be sued for sexual harassment because that is exactly what �dropping the F-bomb� and other profane words can come to on the �equal opportunity� jobsites nowadays. So I really wouldn�t agree that it should be expected out of the mouth of any carpenter on any job!

As a home owner, I would immediately fire anyone using vulgarity on a job now. My spouse still works in construction management and does fire workers for profanity after a warning.

Sincerely,
Carol Hustus

Laborer Union 1980
Carpenters Union 1982
C.R. Klewin, Inc. (general) 1992

These posts are terrific and I love that there are business and crafts people out there trying to raise a higher standard. Profanity is a polarizing issue, both in these little boxes we're typing in and out on a deck. I agree with a lot of the positions out here, and disagree with others.

For one: Swearing is in no way a lack of good character and a measure of ignorance. Don't be fooled by that because you'll let good people out of your life. I know F-Bombers who have big hearts and can explain to you why the hip roof on a bay window is really a section of a circle. Geometry and Trig that'd make your head spin.

On the other hand, they do what my High School English teacher pounded (without profanity)into our heads: they know their audience. The do not swear in "public" or to clients.

Life isn't as tidy as swearing=Lord Vader; not swearing=Prince Charming. At least in my world.

Keep 'em coming.

I found the comment supposedly written by a 60 year old woman named "Alan" to be interesting. Yes, "Alan," you can say whatever you want when you drop a brick on your foot, but you will be seriously limiting your employment opportunities. I believe that was the point of the article.

My hubby is a handyman around the house and a sailor by profession... but I'm happy to say I've never heard a single profane word come out of his mouth. It's entirely possible to NOT use profanity on the job, and by doing so you'll earn much more respect by others - especially the client/customer. Whenever I hear someone swear - especially a "repeat offender" all I can think is that they must not have enough self-control to be considerate with their words. And if they can't control their words, what else might they do?

When we built our log home, which is a God thing, we were totally surprised when NO ONE cussed on our job. In fact, one of the concrete subs actually sat down with my husband to find out why his guys were acting differently on our job, and he was told, "it's a God thing." I have to say that part of the reason was that I was prone to dropping in almost every day (drove 60 miles one way to do it), and I brought sodas and treats every time I came, so the guys got to know us as people, and we're still friends with some of them today (six years later). In two years of construction, we only had one problem with one guy, and I actually sat him down, since his boss wasn't there for me to talk with, and I told him that we did not allow cussing on our property and, if he wanted to cuss, he was free to go sit in his truck and do so, but I would keep track of the time that he was off the job to pass on to his boss. He thought I was nuts, but he didn't cuss the rest of the week they were laying our wood floors. His boss later asked me what I had said to him, because the guy was behaving differently. Basically, the profanity can be cleaned up with a concentrated effort by the contractor, the subs, and the homeowners, BUT the real effort needs to be made in grade school when this "cool" talk begins. Thanks for the article.

I'm a homeowner who had to stay on the building site (I camped out in the unfinished house), and I was around the construction crew all the time (all the different trades), and they were always respectful (no profanity) and very nice to talk to, and I really appreciated that.

Non-professional talk is indicative of a non-professional worker. This is true whether on the job or not and regardless of who is present. 'nuff said???

profanity on the job is unacceptable. I wouldn't hire a subcontractor who swore in front of my clients, or was blasting them out of house and home with their boomboxes. this has nothing to do with @!!!### political correctness, Ina, it has to do with manners and treating your clients with respect. when, exactly, was this kind of language acceptable on the job?

I am a Decorator who also just happens to do it all from setting form boards and pouring concrete to shingling roofs. I have been around and heard it all. I know for a fact that there are many professionals out there who understand the concept of RESPECT! Hello this is not the 1970s and people today EXPECT to be treated with and shown respect or as they say there will not be any pay. In this industry more and more people realize that they CAN fire you and hire someone else and in today's economy there are plenty of men AND women out there just waiting to take your foul mouthed place. IF you want to be thought of as a PROFESSIONAL then educate yourself and I do not mean in just your tools and trade requirements but also in your ability to have self control and the ability to adequately express your frustrations!Language after all is part of your RESPONSIBILITY to your client OR they will be MY CLIENT!

I am a former construction worker but now work in hardware and building materials. I have always been terribly put off by profanity and as a Christian and raised in a Christian home I am apalled by the number of people who think profanity is OK, including some who I see in church every Sunday. Profanity is unnecessary,unprofessional,and 100% inexcusable in any environment at any time. I have had several contractors say some fellow employees of mine will cause them to shop elsewhere. NO excuses. Profanity is not OK anywhere at any time!

Profanity is a sign of lack of vocabulary and intelligence. For every profane word used there are literally dozens of other perfectly good words to use.