# How do you & your co-workers address one another? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 10, 2013, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-your-co-workers-address-one-another/655348 "2013-04-10T19:29:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sally\_Mander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@Sally\_Mander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sally_Mander)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2013, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-your-co-workers-address-one-another/655348/41 "2013-04-11T01:00:55Z")
I also work in a hospital, and everyone except the doctors is addressed by their first names, with one exception. One lady who works in the laundry and delivers our clean linens is called Miss Ethel by everyone. She’s about 120 years old, so I guess it’s just a respect thing. The doctors are all Dr. Lastname. > [@WhyNot](#): > > I will cop to occasionally calling the doctors “Doctor”, mostly because I can’t be arsed to learn how to pronounce their names. Kaplan and Carney, no problem. But I’m not tearing my tongue in two over Sogbaike and Chalupzcak. Never know who’s going to be touchy about mispronunciation, so “Doctor” is safest. One doctor has a 13 or 14-letter Indian name, and just introduces himself as Dr. Bhat, which is just a shortened version of his name. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2013, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-your-co-workers-address-one-another/655348/42 "2013-04-11T01:04:03Z")
First name: my entire 28 year career, first name, including CEOs. I’ve had meetings with suppliers, up to and including the CEO level, and it’s also been first name. In fact, thinking about my life in general, apart from teachers, I’ve never called anyone by anything other than their first name, apart from grandparents and maybe aunts and uncles. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2013, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-your-co-workers-address-one-another/655348/43 "2013-04-11T01:08:28Z")
I work in the mid-south location of a fairly large, international tech company. It’s all over the board. My facility employs ~1500 people from the VP of operations, corporate down to the kitting department where a number of folks with learning disabilities work. There are people from many cultures. I have contact with roughly 2/3 of them. Most of the American men, especially those from the area, call women in administrative positions and middle aged or older women Miss Firstname. Many of the women from the south do the same. Men of one’s parent’s generation tend to be called Mister Firstname (I always get a kick hearing someone called Mr. Ed). People in upper management tend to be called Mr. / Ms. Lastname unless otherwise requested. Everyone else locally is called by the first name. I know, weird. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2013, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-your-co-workers-address-one-another/655348/44 "2013-04-11T01:30:25Z")
> [@Sally\_Mander](#): > > One doctor has a 13 or 14-letter Indian name, and just introduces himself as Dr. Bhat, which is just a shortened version of his name. We have a Dr. Matt for precisely the same reason. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2013, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-your-co-workers-address-one-another/655348/45 "2013-04-11T01:39:09Z")
First name only everywhere I’ve worked since high school (I graduated in 1976). That includes very small companies, midsize (100+ people where I was a corporate officer), and large (like Cisco Systems, where I was pretty darned far down the corporate ladder). ---
**Author:** ![PatriotGrrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9dc877/32.png) [@PatriotGrrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotGrrrl)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2013, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-your-co-workers-address-one-another/655348/46 "2013-04-11T01:40:45Z")
First name only, occasionally nicknames if two people had the same first name. In fact, I remember when I was young and referred to the company president as Mr. So and so, I was corrected and told to cal him by his first name, ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2013, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-your-co-workers-address-one-another/655348/47 "2013-04-11T01:57:14Z")
First name, last name, Sir/Ma’am or by rank, depending on who it is, and who is within earshot ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2013, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-your-co-workers-address-one-another/655348/48 "2013-04-11T02:09:32Z")
First names and nicknames internally. In conferences and meetings people will be introduced with their full name. We’ve occasionally had too many Steves and they were referred to by just their last name. It’s getting more difficult as the company grows. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2013, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-your-co-workers-address-one-another/655348/49 "2013-04-11T02:34:33Z")
If you ever worked at a certain (fictional) major city newspaper, you dared not call the boss “Chief”. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2013, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-your-co-workers-address-one-another/655348/50 "2013-04-11T03:00:10Z")
I’ve worked at two Fortune 500 consumer-products companies, a major advertising agency, and now a small market research company. It’s always been first-name basis, at every place I’ve worked, even when dealing with the CEO or the head of the agency. ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2013, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-your-co-workers-address-one-another/655348/51 "2013-04-11T03:34:34Z")
First names only. I’m in Health and the boss in my department and if anyone referred to me as “Mr” I’d be looking over my shoulder to see if my dads ghost was behind me. Behind my back i’m sure a few of them just refer to me as “that Prick” ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2013, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-your-co-workers-address-one-another/655348/52 "2013-04-11T03:36:56Z")
I work in a school. It’s first names among adults. Ms./Mr. Firstname in front of the students, although the teachers in one program are Ms./Mr. Lastname. It can get a little confusing. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2013, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-your-co-workers-address-one-another/655348/53 "2013-04-11T03:41:10Z")
First names, nicknames, and punk names, although I generally use Dr so and so if I’m talking in front of patients or I’m challenging an order. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2013, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-your-co-workers-address-one-another/655348/54 "2013-04-11T03:57:10Z")
I work in an unprofessional environment, certainly we know each others first names, but I’m more likely to be addressed as ‘mami’, ‘honey’, or various nicknames. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2013, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-your-co-workers-address-one-another/655348/55 "2013-04-11T04:43:17Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > If you ever worked at a certain (fictional) major city newspaper, you dared not call the boss “Chief”. Or else you stay a cub reporter for 40 years. ---
**Author:** ![PurpleClogs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@PurpleClogs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurpleClogs)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2013, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-your-co-workers-address-one-another/655348/56 "2013-04-11T04:51:10Z")
My husband and I are both from US corp IT. All first names here. The one exception may be some calls with folks in Japan (-san). ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2013, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-your-co-workers-address-one-another/655348/57 "2013-04-11T06:08:34Z")
Normally I work alone, at home. But from time to time, I do consultation at a major hospital. Everyone’s on a first-name basis, except for the doctors. They get Dr.\_\_\_\_\_. But the doctors are on a first-name basis with each other and everyone else. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2013, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-your-co-workers-address-one-another/655348/58 "2013-04-11T08:27:30Z")
First names generally - shortened in the case of Stephens and Matthews, which we have two of each, One of the 2 Megans is a Meg, and one of the 3 Davids is a Dave. Having a unique name seems to be the outlier in my office 🙂 I sometime address the MD as “Boss” ---
**Author:** ![AirFarce1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/airfarce1/32/298_2.png) [@AirFarce1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AirFarce1)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2013, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-your-co-workers-address-one-another/655348/59 "2013-04-11T08:35:12Z")
Where I work, we use titles almost exclusively. Superiors are **always** \\. Subordinates are typically \\ as well, except in training/mentoring environments. I’m in the US Air Force 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2013, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-your-co-workers-address-one-another/655348/60 "2013-04-11T08:58:25Z")
honorific lastname for those (the majority) that I am on _Sie_ terms with, firstname for those few I am on _Du_ terms with (some long-standing colleagues whom I have closely worked with and who are not superiors of mine). I would feel very uncomfortable to be on first name terms with a superior - a boss _cannot_ be a friend. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-your-co-workers-address-one-another/655348.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-your-co-workers-address-one-another/655348.md?page=4)