Is Professionalism Changing?

There are many things changing in the world around us as we speak; cars are being developed to drive themselves, there are apps that connect you with people who will do simple chores for you such as pick up the groceries, and jobs are being created in sectors no one twenty years ago would have thought would exist. So along these lines I have wondered a simple question: Is Professionalism Changing? Now most people would say that no professionalism and how people should act throughout the day at their various jobs isn’t changing. I would argue that the standards we are held to are much different.

And I am not the only one. Kelly Mirabella wrote about on her blog that when it comes to swearing in advertising that “…I see it a lot as part of a whole “this is my authentic business self and if you don’t like it then you can move along” technique” (Mirabella, 2015). I completely agree, our society has changed swearing from being something that is wrong and should rarely be done, and now it means that we really care about what we are talking about.

If profanity has changed then as Kelly Mirabella points out “Why do we avoid teaching our children profane words? Why do we say they are bad words and try to avoid saying these words around our children or our grandparents?” (Mirabella, 2015). This is exactly right. If swearing was allowed and accepted in everyday life, then why do we still try to protect kids from hearing and saying the words. Why when we hit a certain age do we all of a sudden use these words casually.

These questions tie right into the business world as while companies may be using swear words and insinuations in their advertising, using these words while working isn’t acceptable. Not only that, the conduct shown in some of these commercials may seem funny when we are watching them on TV, but acting that way during the work day is something that will only make others uncomfortable.

I can speak on my own experiences as well. While coaching, there are times when someone does something wrong after being explained how exactly to perform a task and all you want to do is swear up and down about what they did. However, I watched everyone else hold back and just speak with more force but no change in the language used, but rather the tones. If swearing was okay in society, then why wouldn’t these men who have been coaching for over 100 years combined, be alright with swearing at these kids?

I believe it’s because profanity and certain language isn’t okay to use in work settings and if swearing isn’t okay in sports, which is a combination of violence and toughness, then how can it be okay for these companies to use profanity in their advertising?

Mirabella, K. (2015, May 18). Profanity and Professionalism: a Practice in Contradiction? [Web log post]. Retrieved September 30, 2017, from https://medium.com/@stellar247/profanity-and-professionalism-ea67b98cf5f9