# How do you address your boss at work? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 23, 2002, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-boss-at-work/133505 "2002-10-23T12:08:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2002, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-boss-at-work/133505/41 "2002-10-24T15:08:41Z")
Well, when I woke him up on Tuesday, it was '“Sorry to call you so early Tom, but is there any way in Hell you can be here in 15 minutes?” ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2002, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-boss-at-work/133505/42 "2002-10-25T00:49:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RickJay \* > \*\*Well, in the Army, it was “sir,” “ma’am,” or in the case of NCOs, their rank or title. 🙂 > > \*\* We didn’t even do that - it was first-name basis all the way up to Lt. Colonel. Different army, though. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2002, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-boss-at-work/133505/43 "2002-10-25T01:10:33Z")
My immediate boss is “Sergeant”. My boss’s bosses are “sir” or “ma’am”, depending on circumstance. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2002, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-boss-at-work/133505/44 "2002-10-25T05:10:12Z")
I call him “Jim,” but everyone else on the ship calls him “Captain.” Especially that soulless, heartless… ugh! ---
**Author:** ![fizgig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f04885/32.png) [@fizgig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fizgig)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2002, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-boss-at-work/133505/45 "2002-10-25T05:18:22Z")
I call my boss “Dr. xxx” but only to irritate her. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2002, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-boss-at-work/133505/46 "2002-10-25T05:43:34Z")
Originally posted by Narrad: > [@](#): > > "So how does this work overseas? ’ ``` Doh! You **are** overseas! ;) ``` ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2002, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-boss-at-work/133505/47 "2002-10-25T05:52:53Z")
When it’s just me and him, I call him by his first name because I’ve known him since college. In fact, I dated his brother way back when. Everyone else in the company calls him “Doc” but he’s exempted me from that because I knew him before the honorific applied. Other than that, I think all the execs are on a first name basis with one another, and it varies with the other staffers. They may be on a first name basis with their immediate supervisory chain, but not necessarily with the mgmt and execs of other departments. Just about everyone in the non-administrative departments has a PhD or is on their way to one, so there’s a lot of “Good morning, doctor.” “Hello, doctor.” going on. ---
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2002, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-boss-at-work/133505/48 "2002-10-25T06:30:03Z")
Hmm, it seems my impression was largely incorrect. Thanks for the replies, people. ---
**Author:** ![Bongmaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Bongmaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bongmaster)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2002, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-boss-at-work/133505/49 "2002-10-25T14:23:50Z")
Its very informal here (Ibanez/Tama) so I call everyone from my boss to the president by his/her first name. ---
**Author:** ![heresiarch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/278dde/32.png) [@heresiarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heresiarch)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2002, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-boss-at-work/133505/50 "2002-10-25T15:26:57Z")
I address my boss as “Major \” or simply “Major”. My boss’ boss is a Lieutenant Colonel, but I’ve known him longer. I call him “Colonel T.” A couple of times I’ve worked with other Captains who have been promoted to Major. At that point I stop calling them by their first name and address them as “Major.” Away from work, I might still address them by first name, depending on how well I knew them. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2002, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-boss-at-work/133505/51 "2002-10-25T17:42:09Z")
How many friggin military people are on this board? Shouldn’t you be doing pushups or something 😉 ---
**Author:** ![panache](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c77e96/32.png) [@panache](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2002, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-boss-at-work/133505/52 "2002-10-25T18:08:41Z")
I call him Herbie…although his name is Rob… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-boss-at-work/133505.md?page=2)