By Cheryl Mattox Berry
The use of abbreviations (LOL, OMG, SMH) on social media has apparently spilled over into the workplace where a person’s name is being replaced by a letter or two.
For example, instead of Cheryl, a supervisor or co-worker would refer to me as “C.” It sounds a little futuristic and impersonal, not to mention presumptuous.
Some millennials think their bosses are trying to relate on their level by reducing their names to a single letter, but it doesn’t sit well with them. When two workers in an office shared the same first name, a supervisor wanted to call one of them “JR.” She objected to this bastardization of her name and asked to be called by her first and middle name or her whole name.
Good for her. Don’t let other people define who you are. Make them respect your name. Of course, there’s a way to speak up without coming across as arrogant or belligerent.
Don’t do it in an email because it might be perceived the wrong way. When you and the other person are in the same room and she refers to you by an initial, calmly say, “I prefer to be called by (your given name.)” Smile and keep the conversation going about the topic you were discussing before your directive.
If she does it when others are present, wait until after they leave and tell her, “I noticed that you keep calling me (initial,) but I prefer to be called (given name.) Top it off with a big smile.
Note to supervisors: Don’t make generalizations about millennials or assume you know what they want. Ask them. What you read or see on TV might not be their reality. They’re as different as the people in your age group.