What if you work in an office where every other word out of co-workers' mouths is f*** or sh** or some such? Is it worth trying to do anything about this, or should you just try to tune it out?

If hearing a constant stream of obscenities is starting to get on your nerves, here are a few suggestions from Liz Ryan, the founder and CEO of WorldWIT, an online network of professional women. Earlier this year, WorldWIT surveyed its 40,000 members and found that about 80% think workplace profanity has increased over the past five years, especially in environments where people are stressed out a lot of the time.

Most respondents weren't categorically opposed to the odd swear word - "Well-placed profanity has its place, if used sparingly," one wrote - but the majority did agree that constantly cussing a blue streak is unlikely to do anything good for one's career.

"Everyone has his or her own comfort level with strong language," says Ryan. "The best way to make your own tolerance level known is to comment, gently, when you hear something that's just too harsh for your ears. You can say 'Yikes!' or 'Eek!' or some other exclamation, and then add, 'Can I ask you to find a less colorful expression?'" She says that 95% of people will get the hint.

What if they don't? Ryan recommends speaking to your boss about it. "People who are offended by profanity often don't speak up because they fear they won't be viewed as sufficiently hard-core or tough," she says. "But companies are working on becoming more diverse, and part of diversity is embracing all sorts of communication styles and values. No one should have to work in an F-this, F-that environment if they're not comfortable."

Of course, it's possible that your boss is one of the people in your office who talks like a longshoreman, in which case you will have to broach the subject carefully. Emphasize the business consequences: You're worried that all this salty talk will make your group seem unprofessional to higher-ups, or to customers, or both.

In the end, though, some corporate cultures are more accepting of foul language than others (as anyone who's ever spent any time at a Wall Street trading desk can attest), and trying to change the whole culture is likely to be a losing battle. In that case, you have a decision to make: Is your job satisfying enough in every other respect that you can learn to overlook this? If not, you may be happier working somewhere else.