How do people address each other at work in your counrty?
By Rexy_leigh
@Rexy_leigh (1189)
Philippines
March 23, 2007 12:12pm CST
How do you address your boss? Your co-workers? How you worked for a foreign company and noticed that they have another way of addressing each other in the office?
OK. My first job was in a Montessori School owned and run by Filipino management, and we call our superiors Madam ____ (last names), Miss, or Sir... we also called our co-workers Ma'am ____ (first names) or Sir... :P
but when I transfered to a US company, I was pretty surprised when the CEO told me not to call him "Sir" during my final interview. then I asked him how should I call him then... well, later did I know that not even one of his employees call him "sir" but just "Larry", his first name instead. I was a bit anxious calling my superiors with their first names on my first days of work there coz I was used to the Madam or Sir thingie..:P but now am a lil used to it though coz am still working with a US company for my third job now and is having the same way of addressing the people around as with my previous job.
How about in your country, how do you usually address the people you are working with?
do share your thoughts..:P
10 people like this
47 responses
@anonymili (3138)
•
23 Mar 07
Here in the UK everyone at work tends to address each other with their first names, whether they be the cleaner, the receptionist or the chairman of the board. I've never worked anywhere where you had to address people as Mr or Mrs... or Sir. It's very informal here in the UK, well I've been working for over 20 years and have always called my colleagues and bosses by their first names. I worked with a guy from Sri Lanka once who used to refer to our Director David xxxx as Mr David and David found it very uncomfortable as David was his first name, he kept telling the guy not to do that but he kept doing it, it was quite funny as David said he felt like he was a slave master of centuries ago and he did not like it at all!
1 person likes this
@Rexy_leigh (1189)
• Philippines
23 Mar 07
LOL I can see myself on that guy during my first days on my previous job..:P
@pelo26 (1552)
• Philippines
23 Mar 07
I still work here in the Philippines and we address each other irregardless of company rank and stature as sir and ma'am... Otherwise by our first names when doing small talk and none-work related activities. I think its a general practice in the US to address everyone by their first name.., even within families.
@tishabest (602)
• Belgium
24 Mar 07
These kinds of topics fascinate me!
I have worked on 3 different continents and the way people interact is always different. In one place the boss wanted to be addressed by his first name, in another Mr. ___ and here it's Madame or Monsieur.
it's difficult to keep track and readjust.
@jennybianca (12912)
• Australia
25 Mar 07
I'm afriad Aussies are a litlle bit boring. Usually we say "hi". Occasionally we say "hello". On rarer, more important occassions, we say "sir".
We are a very casual people, who don't have a lot of respect for authority.
@seamonkey (1976)
• Ireland
24 Mar 07
Here in Ireland coworkers would generally adress one another by their first names umnless their is a marked difference in seniority or age. Unless otherwise stated, it is always considerd polite to start off using an honorifi like Mr and then waiting to be offered to address the person by their first name.
@kgwat70 (13388)
• United States
24 Mar 07
Me and my coworkers address each other by our first names and that is it. I only have two other coworkers in my office and we have been working together for a while now so we are comfortable calling each other by our first names. I think this may vary in other companies though as people have may not have a closeness to their boss or coworkers to call each other by their first names.
@palina77 (1177)
• United States
24 Mar 07
In our country if any employee or junior co-worker do address as "SIR" everyone become hot tampered and job is become loose. In government office also superior office always expect from his junior a word "Sir" and become too happy and though he is like lord. To woman instead of sir we all Madam. No name can be utter then it will be offensive. As our country rulled by British our beaurocrates are slavery minded and always expect a word Sir or Madam. In foreggn country no addressing just call the boss with his/her first name they do not mind as they think you are one of important part of his business because without your service his/her business will not fourish and they have no argancy in mind or they have no slavery type mind so they are too generous about addressing. Ofcourse I do not serve, but I visit many foreign office each month for my own work and see it at my own eyes what I cited above. Thanks a lot to you sharing your experience.
@marlyse (1056)
• Switzerland
24 Mar 07
here we call our bosses or co-workers by their 2nd name that means by example mr miller. only when we are friends we call them by their first name. but it isnt usual to call people by their firstname here. i think swiss people are to introverted for that
@getallica (76)
• India
24 Mar 07
In India male superiors are reffered to as "SIR" and Female as "MA'AM"
@sikhan (30)
• Bangladesh
24 Mar 07
I am living Bangladesh. In our country if any one work at Govt sector then he/she must call sir/madam his/her superior boss but in the private/Non Gob Organization sector their he/she can call Mr. or Mis. only his/her junior but senior must call by brother/sir.
@chinababy (5)
• China
24 Mar 07
in China, family name is used,and added by different titles according to rank.
such as: engineer wang shows that wang is an engineer.
manager wang shows that wang is a manager.
many different ranks:
engineer, senior engineer.
manager, general manager.
technican,etc.
@morres (4)
• Denmark
24 Mar 07
I'm actually living and working here in Denmark (europe) and we don't really call our boss' like "Sir" nor "Maam", instead, just a first name basist. It's actually not rude to call them by their first names, especially if there is no rules implementing in your company that it is prohibited to call yoour boss in his(her first name. But I know, that in some countries, like in The Philippines, you really have to (required) to call them Sir or Madam to show some respect. If I were you, now that you're working in an american company, just be yourself and get used to the first name basist with your boss'. :)
@lingli_78 (12822)
• Australia
24 Mar 07
i address my boss and co-workers here just with their first names... that's it... very simple... and i already get used to it...
@alchemistrx (2547)
• Philippines
24 Mar 07
i'd like calling by their first names and not mam and sir because I feel that we are all equal inspite of our ranking in the company.
@3acres (748)
• Singapore
24 Mar 07
I am a Filipino working here in Singapore. In the Philippines, we usually addressed each other with a sir or ma'am no matter what rank. Here in Singapore we usually addressed others with their first name. I've been with British, German and Americans and so far we only addressed each other with first names.
@samson_abhi (23)
• India
24 Mar 07
I work for a MNC and when i was training i was told that all the employees including the boss are associates so i could call them by their first names but when i started working i found it a bit weird so i still call my boss as Sir.
@ddrrll (6)
• China
24 Mar 07
In China ,the name we address our bosses and leaders just base on their principalship ,eg.I call my scool principal president ~~~to express respect. When we call our closed friend ,we just use their first name,such as one of my best friend named ???(Wang Chengcheng),I'll just call him chengcheng to show our closed relation.
In the eye of Chinese,name is very important.If you call a people in wrong appellation,there will be not only laughters toward you ,but also people's reflection of thinking you be a featherbraind man.
