No Stupid Questions

My neighbor passed away and a new family moved in. Talking with dad, I noticed he didn't swear much. I said a handful of curse words the first few times we talked. I noticed he was a little put off. So I just made a conscious effort to not curse around him. Never apologized, just tried not to. Pretty sure he's noticed and appreciates it.

I work in a very large tech company. I curse like a fucking sailor around some people and use my church voice around others. Expletives lose their punch when used too often.

I wouldn't apologize or bring it up further. The time for an apology about language spoken in the heat of the moment is as soon after as possible.

The best apology is a change in behavior.

Good luck navigating this, you can see how contentious a topic it is by the comments in this thread. But it boils down to know your audience, and believe people when they tell you they have a problem.

I worked with someone like that who got their jimmies tussled by cursing. I said sorry in the moment they voiced their feelings and avoided them after that. I didn’t change how I talk or come up with a huge apology.

Don't go could turkey, you'll fail. Lizard brain is gonna respond with or without monkey brains help.

As much as you can, start with replacing fuck with frack or fine or fudge, or just make it funny. Stopping the cadence is harder than changing the word.

The correct reply is "I don't see what the big fucking deal is." Some motherfuckers will never be happy, so just ignore them and do your own thing.

Comes across as a snide non-apology to me. Regardless of whether an apology or whatever is warranted, the phrasing here sounds nothing like an apology if that's what you’re going for

"I'll try and be more professional in the future."

This way you're not judging them or yourself, you're saying you understand that there's a code of behavior the bosses expect everyone to follow.

I wouldn't wory too much about that coworker, if they can't handle something as banal as fuck, it's their problem, not yours

I would censor the work f--k because it might come off like you're being passive aggressive and aren't really trying. Reminds of the time the actor that played Burke on Grey's Anatomy called the actor that played George a fa---t, then made a public apology saying he's sorry he called him a fa---t and that he wont say fa---t again, except he said the word. People got even more pissed, and I think he was fired from the show. 🤦

I previously made a comment on how I've learned to apologize if you're interested.

Don't add the while your around bit.

I'm going to work on improving my language, and I'll be mindful going forward, it's a very deep habit, so please bear with me.

So. Your co worker NEVER watches TV? You know? Where swearing is everywhere.

Dunno. I'd expect grown ass adults to be able to put their personal feelings aside for the sake of professional obligations. If your coworker is gonna get upset at everything, he's not in for a very good time.