3 Reasons You Should Say the "F" Word at Work

As parents, my wife and I teach our children many things. Our goal is to provide them with the tools they will need to become successful adults. The interesting part is that our definition for success is fairly abstract. We want them to pursue something that feeds their passion and makes them happy. We also want them to never give up during their journey.

Our parenting styles will change throughout their childhood, but there is one technique we started early and will continue through their teenage years. This technique combines language skills with respecting other people. We are careful not to say bad words around our children. There are, of course, times when they hear bad language when they are around other people and we always use this as an opportunity to teach them about words that we don’t use.

Recently we were discussing the day’s events with our 9-year old daughter when she mentioned that she heard someone say the “F” word that day. As you can imagine, my wife and I were a little shocked at this pronouncement. We felt that we needed to do a bit more probing to properly address the situation. Therefore, the interrogation began; “Who?,” “Where?,” “Why,” and so on. After she provided more details, we decided to risk it and ask, “What was the word?” This question created some internal conflict for our daughter. She hesitated saying the word to us for fear of getting in trouble for saying it.

You’ve probably already figured out why I am talking about the “F” word. The “F” word that we discussed with our daughter was not fraud. However, fraud is the word that is often ignored by owners and executives until they are forced to talk about it. You should talk about it now. Here are three reasons you should say the “F” word.

1. Fraud is not a bad word. People will take it seriously if it is said and repeated often. Encourage everyone to say it. Saying the word “fraud” makes it real, not just a mythical concept. As with other bad words, the more you say it, the more it becomes part of your vocabulary. Since fraud isn’t a bad word, you should talk about it often and make it an important word in your vocabulary.
2. Like it or not, fraud is impacting your organization. Ignoring it will only make it worse. Often there are actions that are accepted by everyone in the organization as normal, but these actions are fraudulent. It could be an owner or executive pushing the limits when billing customers. The overbillings are so common that everyone involved doesn’t even recognize the activity as being fraudulent. There could be other actions that are less obvious, but just as inappropriate.
3. Be brave and call it “fraud” when you see it. It is hard finding the courage to bring fraud to another person’s attention. An employee with knowledge of a possible fraud may fear negative repercussions if they call it “fraud” when they see it. While a negative outcome is possible, it is important to do the right thing.

Back to the question we asked our daughter, “What was the word?”

With some additional encouragement from us and reassurance that she would not be punished for saying it, our daughter told us that she heard someone call someone else a “fart head.” My wife and I laughed and smiled and our daughter was confused. When we regained our composure, we talked about not using the “F” word and that it isn’t nice to call people names. The struggles of parenting are real and become more complicated as your children get older.

Don’t be scared talking about the “F” word within your organization.

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