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Stop the Profanity

Stop the Profanity
By Bobby Bock
NAPS Southeast Area Vice President

In the August 2022 issue of The Postal Supervisor, I wrote a column about the use of profanity in our interactions with each other. This is one of the most reported issues I receive.

Our members are reporting they are subjected to profanity-laced tirades from their managers in one-on-one meetings, telecons and even Zoom meetings. Profanity never has increased performance or productivity. I know this firsthand.

I was copied on an email from a postal executive (PCES). I reached out to a manager in a support function who was obnoxious and out of control. The tone and tenor were so unprofessional I had to hold the phone away from my ear. It was evident this was the way this leader communicated to his subordinates. It’s no wonder profane language is so prevalent at all levels of the Postal Service.

As much as part of me wanted to get into the gutter with this manager, I stayed on the high road. When he stopped screaming with his vile language, I asked if he was done. When he said he was done, I said goodbye.

Shortly after, I called his manager. The manager was more sympathetic to what I reported and said he would speak with this manager about his “poor vocabulary.”

Are you subjected to foul, rude and vulgar language in the workplace? If this is happening with subordinate employees, you have tools to remedy its occurrence through the use of corrective action. If the foul, rude or vulgar language is coming from someone to whom you report or a senior manager, report them to your local NAPS branch president so the behavior can be brought to the appropriate level of management to identify the individual responsible and stop it.

NAPS is very concerned about how we interact with each other. When vulgarity is used in heated situations, it can cause a bad situation to only get worse. I wonder at times if their language is as foul and derogatory at home as it is at work.

There’s no place—either at home or work—for rude, foul and abusive language.