When it comes to formality, we all have different takes. Some of us prefer to keep things casual, while others feel that formal titles and names are important in certain situations (or even every situation). Either way, we all have to respect one another.
A man on Reddit who goes by Lucky-Object170 began to wonder if he was wrong for calling his coworker by her first name, rather than by the more formal address she preferred. So, he decided to ask the internet for some advice. Naturally, that meant going to the AITA community .
OP Posted His Story Fairly Recently.
At His Workplace, People Refer To One Another By Their First Names.
OP, as well as the people whom he reports to, all address themselves and each other by their first names. OP also wishes that all of his employees do the same to him. But a new woman recently joined the team, and she wants to be addressed more formally. The woman, who OP refers to as “Ginny Potter,” wants to be called Ms. Potter. OP, meanwhile, will address her as Ginny.
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She uses Ms. Potter on her email signature and has been emphasizing it more and more when corresponding with OP. Ginny Potter is below OP on the corporate ladder but doesn’t directly report to him.
OP’s other coworkers feel she isn’t senior enough to be entitled to be addressed formally, so they just ignore it. OP’s wife, on the other hand, feels that he should be more sensitive to Ms. Potter’s wishes.
Commenters Are Somewhat Divided.
Some argued that Ms. Potter wants to be addressed as such as a way to instill workplace boundaries. Despite the fact that she is on the lower end of the hierarchy, that shouldn’t mean that her superiors can’t show her that little bit of respect.
There Were Many Who Empathized With Ms. Potter.
Many commenters knew how it felt to be addressed by a name/nickname they didn’t like and perfectly understood where OP’s coworker was coming from. Many commenters felt that OP was in the wrong and should change the way he addresses Ms. Potter from now on.
However, Others Felt That OP Didn’t Need To Address Ms. Potter Formally.
Considering how casual the environment is, it’s strange to address one person by their last name, and everyone else by their first. Many commenters argued that OP wasn’t wrong in calling Ginny by her first name, because it would otherwise create a strange imbalance in the workplace.
