Arguments between managers and their employees are quite common. However, arguments between managers and their employees over their names are something that might raise an eyebrow or two (or several thousand, since it’s the internet). But we’ve found that fact is often stranger than fiction.
A redditor turned to the r/antiwork community to share an incredibly strange story about his new manager. “Folks, my mind is blown,” he writes, referring to the entire situation as “the most ridiculous flex of power” that he’s ever seen.
The author of the post explained how he’s been using a shortened version of his full name (Christopher) since childhood. However, the version he’s using (Topher) isn’t as widely recognized as the one that most people know (Chris). Everything was completely fine until he got a new day-shift manager who had a problem with the employee putting his nickname on his nametag. The situation escalated from there. Read on for the full story, in the OP’s own words.
Bored Panda got in touch with workplace expert Lynn Taylor with a few questions about de-escalating tensions between managers and employees, and how to mend professional relationships. Taylor is the author of ‘Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant,’ the head of the fashion brand ‘Behind the Buckle,’ and has a popular blog on ‘Psychology Today.’ Read on for our full interview with her.
It’s not every day that someone calls you out for using the short version of your name at work
Image credits: Mizuno K (not the actual photo)
One retail worker explained how his new manager had a major issue with his nametag and even resorted to threats
Image credits: Tima Miroshnichenko (not the actual photo)
Image credits: [deleted]
“Tensions can run high in the office… and sometimes the added stress of the holidays can make matters worse. When conflict escalates between employees and managers, there are several steps you can take,” workplace expert Taylor, the author of ‘Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant,’ told Bored Panda.
She said that employees can use the CALM approach. The acronym stands for communicate, anticipate, levity, and manage up.
“Oftentimes, issues escalate when there’s not enough open communication. The manager may begin to adopt the approach, ‘It’s my way or the highway.’ Employees can manage up with difficult bosses, as sometimes managers need a voice of reason,” she said.
“It behooves you as the employee to determine the most effective way to interface with your boss. For example, if you’re texting back-and-forth on a sensitive issue, try your best to sit down in a relaxed neutral environment and talk, face-to-face. Make sure you’re communicating on a regular basis so small issues don’t become exaggerated.”
Meanwhile, the expert noted that employees should very carefully choose the time when to overcome the conflict. Timing really is everything! “For example, avoid meeting right before lunch or after some bad corporate news. Also, if you know your boss’s hot buttons, don’t push them.”
Moreover, Taylor suggests using levity in the heat of an argument to break the tension. “The ability to see the big picture, especially with a petty argument, is an invaluable skill in your career arsenal. And it’s the first step in taking the conversation to a more lighthearted place. Humor creates a bond and diffuses conflict.”
The final part of the CALM acronym stands for managing up. This means allowing your boss to see multiple sides of a situation. What’s more, employees who manage up use positive and negative reinforcement and act as the voice of reason.
“Having strong emotional intelligence is the key to any conflict, but being a good listener, trying to understand the boss’s approach, and using diplomacy are critical. When your boss (or any human), sees there’s ‘something in it for them,’ only then will you effect change,” Taylor, the author of ‘Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant,’ explained to Bored Panda.
Part of managing up means setting boundaries. Taylor said: “If you’re a doormat for every boss’s whim, you’ll build resentment, and in the long run conflict will ensue. Managers often respect when employees can say diplomatically that something is not working. As in life, if you don’t set boundaries with your boss, they will continue with negative behavior. The key is in the so-called packaging of what you say… diplomacy is paramount.”
According to the workplace expert using the CALM approach is a “great antidote for skirmishes that will always occur in the office. That said, if you’re in a toxic environment and your boss’s behavior is untenable, it’s time to visit your favorite job site.”
Despite the employee’s attempts to hide his full first name, people were very quick to guess it
Bored Panda also wanted to get the expert’s opinion as to whether or not an apology is usually enough to mend a relationship between a manager and an employee.
“The workplace is a microcosm of life. As such, any wrong behavior should be corrected by both sides,” she told us. “An apology is a good start, but not all apologies were created equal. For example, we’ve all heard people tell us ‘I am sorry,’ with no explanation or embellishment. That can come across as being disingenuous or passive-aggressive. It takes a big person to apologize—and that can be so elusive in the heat of battle.”
Taylor pointed out that whenever someone is apologizing, they should be specific in what they’re apologizing for.
“Avoid saying I’m sorry if… such as ‘I’m sorry if I offended you.’ You likely know if you have offended someone. So better to say something like, ‘I’m sorry I was being disagreeable earlier. I will try to be more open to your ideas.’”
Moreover, the person in question ought to avoid making excuses like ‘I’m sorry I was abrupt earlier, but I have been feeling overwhelmed.’ “If you make excuses for inappropriate behavior, it just takes away from your apology,” Taylor told us.
“Most people want to hear that there is some level of regret for something inappropriate that was said or done. It’s also human nature to want to know that the person will adjust their approach in the future.”
According to the workplace expert, managers set the example for the office. “So while you may be brushing up on your managing up skills, it’s also important for management to display sensitivity and empathy to mitigate conflict. They’re in a position of power and with power comes responsibility,” she explained.
“Especially in this day of high employment, managers should actively seek ways to motivate and retain their staff. Without a strong staff, a manager has nothing.”
The redditor’s story blew up almost immediately, as it resonated with a lot of members of the r/antiwork online community and retail workers on Reddit. At the time of writing, his post had over 21.5k upvotes (and counting).
However, the OP ended up deleting his account after the story went viral. Odds are that he might not have expected to get that much attention and replies from everyone. (Internet fame can be overwhelming.)
The redditor claimed that his manager threatened to withhold his shifts unless he wears a different nametag (i.e. anything but Topher which he felt wasn’t a ‘real’ name). Since then, the OP has reached out to his general manager about the entire situation. He’s also considering suing.
The entire situation is a lesson in what not to do, on both sides. The manager clearly overstepped his bounds by threatening his employee with fewer shifts and by insisting on a specific shortened version of his name.
At the same time, you could also argue that the retail worker could have been slightly more diplomatic. For instance, he might have wanted to avoid antagonizing his new manager further by calling him by a different name. The sentiment is completely understandable (nobody likes giving in to bullying), but the approach could have been a tad more subtle.
Either way, now that the general manager has gotten involved and the OP is considering seeking legal advice, the odds are the situation will deescalate. It’s unreasonable to expect the new manager and the redditor to become best pals, but it might be possible for them to have a professional working relationship in the future. Maybe.
There are plenty of things that true leaders never do. One of them is flexing their authority as a way to settle arguments. For instance, Insperity notes that nobody should use phrases like, “Do what I tell you to do. I’m the boss.” Having an honest dialogue and getting to the bottom of things in a calm manner are key.
According to Lisa Jasper, everyone is an adult at work and you can’t expect your employees to respect you as a boss if you set different standards for yourself.
“If an employee doesn’t understand why something needs to be done, provide more detail. Help them see how doing what you’ve asked will benefit them, the team and the company as a whole. You can also find out why an employee doesn’t want to do something they’re asked to do by saying, ‘Help me understand why this is a no.’ Even if the employee still says no, you can emphasize the importance of the task and set expectations of consequences for not following through,” she explains.
Here’s how some people reacted to the whole situation
Other internet users shared some similar bizarre issues their managers had with people’s names
The retail worker updated his post after it went viral online
He revealed how the situation progressed and how he got a bit of ‘revenge’ against his manager
I would legally change my name to be pronounced as Christopher but spelt Phuqkov
I love it. A teacher refused to call me by name because I spelled it wrong and I refused to respond to Angela.
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Yep My Dad's middle name was Kimberlin (named after the jungle boy) He was always called Kim. I cringed sooo hard the first time I heard his boss call him Bob (his first name was Robert) I said Bob who and he said "your Dad, Bob" I said My Dad's name is Kim what moron call's him Bob. It was his boss who was the moron and when his secretary laughed at him for changing someone's name because he thought it was too feminine for a man he started calling him Kim the jungle boy to "butch" it up. What a jerk. I bet he would call me Chrissy when my name is Christina and I go by Tina.
My name is Kimberly,, my whole life I have gone by Kim. In school I wouldnt accept anything but Kim. Not Kimmy, not Kimberly except my Uncle becauae I love my uncle, just Kim. Moved to Scandinavia where Kim is mostly a man's name, especially in Denmatk..When I arrived at business meetings in Denmark people would get angry because they expceted a man not an American woman. So I started using Kimberly to make life easier. Today I am likenup yours I am Kim male female deal with it.
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My dad's name is Joseph Smith, which works perfectly for him because he was in the FBI for twenty five years. He loved when he had to go see a bunch of Mormons because they'd go pale and panic. He told me he used to hate how boring his name is, but it did come in handy sometimes.
Why didn't he just say Topher? The Internet isn't stupid. I mean it is, but...you know what I mean.
Because of the Reddit ToS and rules of the subreddit (no sharing of personal information).
Load More Replies... I'm a William and people called me Billy growing up. I never got why that made any sense at all. I started going by Will in my 20s and people who knew me all my life said calling me Will made no sense. I'm 55 now and a few people from my childhood call me Billy and when they do, I usually call them some stupid nickname version of their name. One cousin said, "But you'll always be Billy to me." I said, "You threw a fit last year when someone referred to you by your maiden name. You've been married for less time than I've been going by Will. Keep calling me Billy and I will address everything to your maiden name and introduce you as such."
The nickname Bill for William, likewise D**k for Richard dates to the 13 and 14th centuries. At this time there was a gag for swapping out letters to make rhyming nicknames. So you have Will Bill, Rob Bob, and Rick D**k, etc. For whatever reason, the original names got dropped, and people kept the rhyming name, Bill, Bob, and D**k. I wish I had a cooler answer for you.
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His name is Christopher and instead of going by Chris he goes by Topher. My best friend’s husband is called Topher at times and there are celebrities that go by that too. My name is Christina and go by Chris or Chrissy. Would he be offended me decided to go by Tina suddenly? It’s not even that serious lol.
Also, you can't choose your own name? Tell that to me or any other trans people
Hell there's an official government form FOR choosing your own name. Anyone can decide "hey I don't like the name my folks gave me" and just pick a new one.
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“You can’t choose the short form of your name” then who the f**k does?!?!
I work in customer service and would LOVE to have a work name! The sad part is I do wear a name tag and still get called "Honey" "Darling" and "Sunshine" A LOT.
I worked at a marketing center and people were allowed to use a different name if they wanted to. Like for clarity for people that were hard of hearing or English wasn't their native language. (You still had to give your phone employee number if requested.)
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Not a manager, but a teacher back in elementary school. As everyone can see, my name isn't exactly standard fare. This teacher insisted my name was Samantha, and told me my name was "wrong" and to write my "real name". I was 4, learned how to write before I even went to school, and the first thing I learned was my name. Well, my parents were very upset when I came home crying because a teacher told me my name was wrong, and she even tried to tell my parents that my name was "clearly" Samantha. Dad had to bring the birth certificate and everything to shut her up.
Best reply: If they refuse to let you go by "Topher," insist on "Christ." 🤣 P.s. -- don’t tell the Name Gatekeeper "Manager" about Margaret vis-à-vis "Peggy." 🤯
"If "Topher" makes you a little too uncomfortable to pronounce, just refer to me as your lord and savior" lol 😆
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There was a girl who worked in a local shop whose name was Nazarene, but went by (phonetic spelling) Nazee. But that's not how it was spelled on her name tag. She spoke English as a second language, so probably didn't realize that spelling it with an "i" at the end gave it a whole different meaning.
Just tell him since he doesn't like your shortened name to call you mr ..... formal last name. Then you will even seem more important than Seen. Lol
My BIL's brother goes by Buddy when his name is actually William. This manager would probably have an aneurysm.
My dad was one time at Panera's. Cashier asked for order name, my dads name is Basil. She turned around to look at the menu, it had basil soup and stuff on it. She said "Fine, if you dont want to tell me your real name". So my dad whipped out his drivers liscenes, she didnt make eye contact after that.
I had a similar situation with the DMV. My neighborhood streets were all named after places in England. I lived on Thames St. But when I got my driver's license, they had written the name as Thomas St. I went back to the DMV (this was before the internet), waited in line for 6 hours, and filled out the form to say "THAMES ST", and was a little annoyed when a few weeks later I get my new license which once again said "THOMAS ST". At this point, oh well. Fast-forward a year, and I was driving home from work in a loner car, and didn't know the plate had expired. Cop pulls me over within sight of my house. He asks me where I live, and I said right there (pointing). He looks at my license and says I'm lying. I tell him the whole story, and he follows me home and I have to unlock the door to prove I'm telling the truth. Then he gives me a warning, and says I have to go to the DMV and change the address. So I did again, and I got back my 3rd license that said "THOMAS ST".
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I have an in-law who I corrected many years ago because she called me by a name which is similar to my name but it's not my name. Ever since she goes out of her way to mispronounce my name with a strong emphasis watching me closely to see my reaction. I stopped objecting after a while because she was bashing me behind my back calling me petty for wanting to be called by my real name. I just didn't feel like spending anymore time sparring with someone who got some weird smug satisfaction over doing something which only proved her own pettiness. It would be nice if she would act like the Christian she professes to be.
My nephew's name is Jonathan. He has gone by his full name his entire life. He will not let people call him Jon or Jonny. It's Jonathan. When he was five years old I took him out for ice cream. He looks JUST like me so this woman assumed he was my son and that I was too young to have a son his age. I explained I was his uncle and just back from combat. She then asks him his name and he looks at me like, "Why is this strange lady asking my name?" He reluctantly told her. Then she says, "Well aren't you just a cutie pie Jonny?" He said, "My name is Jonathan." She was like, "What?" He said, "I told you my name is Jonathan and one minute later you called me Jonny." She said, "Jonny is a cute nickname for Jonathan." He said, "I don't have a nickname, it's Jonathan." Then she said, "Well aren't you a rude little boy." He said, "I'm actually I'm a good boy. I do what I'm told and I mind my manners. You are the rude one and I will tell my mother about you when we get home."
She looked at me for help and I said, "I heard him say his name was Jonathan and I have no idea why you'd call him Jonny. Maybe use his correct name and he will be polite to you." Then then cashier chimed in, "Hey Jonathan, I think you're name is great and you're always so polite when you come in here. Your next ice cream is on me." The lady stormed off in a huff. Turns out she ran into my nephew and his mom at church on Sunday. She didn't like what my sister had to say either. People are stupid.
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So, obviously his name is Christopher and he wants to go by Topher, like Topher Grace from That 70's Show. As a Cassandra I can feel his pain. I went to school with so many other Cassandras I started going by my middle name which you can actually see here, and I've also been in a similar situation to this guy, where a manager didn't think my name was real. I had to show her my birth certificate. Some people really are this stupid. Hope he stuck to his guns.
Cassandra is quite a name to assign to a child. I have always found her story to be so sad. I don't know why her over any of the other Trojan women, as they all had horrible ends. But maybe because she was cursed her whole life, and when finally there is indisputable cause to believe her prophecies, she is raped by the Greeks given as a sex slave to Agamemnon, then murdered by his estranged wife, Clytemnestra.
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When I was little(grade 3) I was kept in one lunchtime by a student teacher who called me a liar when I told him my name was Peta. He refused to listen to me ,even when I spelled it out and just kept saying "That a BOYS name"! Finally ,the principle happened to walk past and ask why I was still in the class room and seemed upset.The teacher told him that "this little madame refuses to tell me her REAL name".The headmaster told me to go outside and play and the student teacher spent the rest of the week doing admin in the office and was then gone the next week lol.
Place I used to work ( involved late nights & alcohol) so you can imagine how many creeps were about. ( why do middle age men think early 20s young women are flattered by all that creepy attention) this was the days before social media, anyway we were required to wear a name tag So management allowed us to just grab any old name tag out of a basket of name tags in the staff room that had belonged to past employees , sample tags from the engraver & ring in tags from other places. No one had their real name on & often the guys would have Angela or Jenny or Abigail on their lapel while the girls would be sporting David, John or Anthony. Stopped creeps finding out any personal details.
I don't get it, In Poland when you are born you get one or two names, parents decision and after the sacrament of confirmation you choose second if you had one name or third. You can legally go by any of the three names. And also there a catch. My given names are Aleksandra Anna... but in Poland, a short version for Aleksandra is Ola :) not near to the original at all... At work I go as Ola as it is way to long and official to use full name ;)
The owners son, a couple years younger than me, didn't want to hire me because he didn't like my name and thought it sounded too much like a stripper name. (There was a strip club 3 doors down his wife didn't know he frequented.) My immediate supervisor pulled for me to be hired because he knew I was qualified and was being recruited by other companies. When my supervisor was moving out of state I was to take over his position so they hired an assistant without my input. They hired her because she had the body of a 14 year old girl and a butt to match. But she was not as smart as a 14 year old. They had to move her to 3 different departments because she was completely incompetent.
I hate my name, Rebecca. My mom calls me Becky, other people call me Becca, online I am Beck. I would fight this manager dude. I would walk off if I had to have rebecca on my tag.
I've always liked Bex as a nickname for Rebecca.
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Lol, I got the 8 (years old) and 6 (last letters) mixed up and couldn’t think of a famous person who went by “Istopher”.
Well boss man is wrong if he were in say Canada. You can assume any name you want, also know as an alias... when I married I just assumed my husbands name, my birth certificate is different than my current name but I'm still legally the name I go by.
For those who may not know, you can change your complete name for *free* when you get married or divorced. You can spare yourself the BS of putting a notice in the paper or paying the $1500 (in Illinois) or whatever fee they declare necessary. I married a couple who decided they disliked their last names and chose a different one. Perfectly legal!
Why are you not just stating that your name is Christopher, Topher? It's not like there's a single person reading this article who didn't figure it out immediately.
Against the rules of the sub it was posted in, and there were plenty of people who didn't know what it was.
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My middle name is Scott and I go by Scotti. My former employer would not allow me to use that "nickname" and I had to go by my first name.
My step dads name is Anthony Robert he goes by ANDY lol always left me wondering but id never try to call him Tony cause that's not his name hasnt ever been.
My dad is Anthony Steven, first name after one of his uncle's, and that uncle had a conniption. He was like, "Nobody better call him Anthony, that's MY NAME" and his mom wouldn't call him Tony, so he's gone his whole life as Steve. Not one employer has ever questioned why he goes by Steve when his first name clearly is in no way ever considered Steve.
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When I was 19-20, my Burger King name tag said "Chuck Manson" for about two months.
How to mess with customers and management? Make them do a double take when they see the name tag 😆
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I knew my now spouse 4 years before I found out they go by their middle name and I didn't even know what their first name was.
I had a friend whose whole family went by their middle names. Their first names were honoring family, and middle names were what the parents liked I guess. His name was Richard but he went by Kellan bc that was his middle name. All his siblings were like that. I didn't even know his name wasn't Kellan for 5 years. I knew them that my kids middle names would honor family, and their first names were ones we liked. No confusion and every once in a while my 2 youngest girls request to go by their middle names bc they love sharing them with their grandparents, but it doesn't last too long.
Load More Replies... This is absolutely weird, doesn't make any money for Topher, doesn't make any money for the company. Doesn't build any leave or accrue ones 401k. All it does is make for hard feelings, totally counterproductive. And by the way, we now live in an age where you can change your sex, but not your name? This is totally nuts!
Sadly, the vast majority of people do not actually believe you can change your sex. Especially those in government, it seems.
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1. As an adult you CAN choose your own name. The law says you don't even have to legally change it. I'm David. I could go by George if I wanted to as long as I am not doing it for illegal purposes like fraud. . 2. Topher is actually better for customers / boss. If a customer has a complaint about Topher, the boss would know exactly who they are referring to. If they had a complaint about David, chances are there is more than one person with my name working at whatever place. The worse case I saw of this was one work center in the navy. about two dozen of us in that work center. FIVE of us were named David. It worked out because military tends to go by last name anyway but it was rather amusing.
I thought this was my cousin for a while. Same name, but different spelling + we live in Scandinavia. So when OP said US would probably easily guess his name.. that should've been my biggest clue that it wasn't my cousin. But nope. I had to count the letters to be sure. Also; I have a friend named Patrick. I nicknamed him Patpat.it was approved.
Like others said, why the F would a customer care what the clerk's name is? Unless it was insulting or something stupid like hitler. Also the majority of foreign nationals that are answering your phone calls have been told to CHOOSE a different more American name to use with the public. Which is how you end up talking to a man in tech support named Julie.
At work I do not go by my given name, but when we get a new boss I let them know my real name and my prefered name. Had one boss who repeatedly called me by my given name and I ignored him when he did. One night he called over the intercom repeatedly for me to come to the office but I did not. Several people were looking around asking who he was calling. He finally came out to find me and was mad I didn't come to the office. I responded I didn't hear you call me. He claimed he did saying my name. I looked him in the eye and told him I do not respond to that name. The only one who calls me by my given name is my mother.
I mean, if Peggy is supposedly short for Margeret, then Topher can be short for Christopher. my husband is Richard. always been Richie to me, Dickie to his sisters, also answers to D**k, Rich... weirdly, I can't imagine him at all as a Rick or Ricky. but those are also perfectly normal abbreviations of Richard.
sometimes they call him Dikdik. because he's a little deer. :P
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My name is Marcia, pronounced mar-SEE-ah. Most Americans (for some unknown reason) pronounce it marsha. So, I drop the 'a' off and just go by Marci. I worked in a big-box retail store that changed its policy to 'you have to use your whole, actual birth name on your nametag'. I told them they could remove the 'a' from the end of my name or I would. They refused, so I removed it and refused to wear any replacements. I did not get fired.
I can't wait to see how this curmudgen handles "new age" names. BP has made several lists of 'wtf were parents thinking' when they named their kids. "REIGHFUL" Pronounced Rifle. I wish i could witness that!
first thing if something like this go to hr the floor mgr is only 1 tiny step above a floor worker he has no power or right to make any demand like that. i gone to hr\ over a supervisor and i gotten into some difficulties and i went over even hr not that i did not do what accused but that the hr punishment for anything was not the 3 step but she always used the 3rd most costly punishment for any breach this was a medical co and neither was anything to do with patient or safety to me warranted harshest punishment which i agree stand up for wron treatment and if necessary go to top
Tempest in a teacup. Being deliberately pedantic about a name that is clearly atypical, is wilfully disruptive. That said, I'm curious... is it pronounced "toe-fur" or "toffer"? If the latter, you might want to be prepared for people just going with "to$$er" instead. This is not a hill to die on, my friend.
I've worked in a warehouse environment where pretty much everybody has their name or nickname Sharpied onto the back of their hi-vis vest. Chick. Bud. Panda. Scoobie. Hubba. Snowy. I could go on.
The author, quoting a professional something or other, says that someone should never apologize with "IF" (I apologize if...). I agree most of the time, but I've been in situations in which the other person was oversensitive to something and said that I offended them. I knew I couldn't say I'm sorry if you're offended (like the pro said), because the other person was offended, but I believed I did nothing even remotely wrong. So I couldn't apologize for doing something that I don't think that was wrong of me. So how could I end the situation other than just lying and tossing out a fake apology? Sometimes that's ok to do if you don't know the person very well; but if you've already said that you don't think that what you did was wrong, they won't accept a false apology because they know you don't believe what you did was wrong?
Online I go by Su, a shortened version of my first name, Susan. My DIL wired me some money by Western Union in my nickname of Su. I went to Publix service desk to pick it up. I had the number of the transaction, ID and, obviously, knew the amount and who sent it. The b-word cashier told me she "didn't have to give (me) the money because the name didn't match my ID"! My address, phone, last name and all the other info was verified, including a 'password' used only with that transaction. She was just power-tripping. I told her it wasn't up to her to decide what name or shortened nickname I use. I said I would just go elsewhere if she didn't want to give it to me, but only after I spoke to her manager! I got my money!
FB lost a lot of members in 2015 when it refused drag artists the right to use their stage names on their profiles. I've used "Stannous/Stan Flouride (sic)" since 1978 and appeared on the first season of 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" using it and have the check made out to me in that name but FB wouldn't let me use it so I left at that same time. I removed a few thousand images and left it blank. It still exists because there's people on there I have no other way to communicate with.
I go by a shortened form of my name in pretty much all professional settings. No one has ever given me grief about it. Occasionally, when I do have to use my full name, people misspell it, so I usually just say it with the correct spelling as an add on (Stephen with a Ph). I have had some humors interactions when people go, so... phteven or even phtephen. I NEVER correct people when they do this, as I find it immensely hilarious.
Imagine this cockwomble coming to Africa (here) and seeing our local names on waiters' nametags at restaurants. "Hey boy!" "Sir you can't call me boy that is racist. My name is Nhlakanipho. Please pronounce it correctly."
"Emotional intelligence" is a figment of people's imaginations. It's certainly nothing more than a hippie dippie term, coined by some narcissistic feminist in the 70's and a contradiction in terms. Applying intelligence (thought) is a cause and the subsequent emotions about those thoughts are the effect. For sane people, this NEVER works in reverse. Emotions before thoughts are meaningless and are thus refuse.
I know someone who legally changed their name to the short form. You still get people insisting that's not his full name
My HR and store manager decided I couldn't put the nickname for my then soon-to-be legal name (I had been waiting on the paper to publish the change, which would make it official, but it was less a month away) on my badge. Meanwhile, Sweepy could have his nickname, completely unrelated to his legal name, on his badge just fine. Mine was just because of transphobia, though, this is just weird.
My family calls me Liss or Lissa. When I moved up north at a young age people started calling me Mel. I never liked it but I didn't say anything because I just wanted to go along to get along. Totally regret it now.
Even basic manager, leadership, and customer service training all stress the whole Cardinal rule of never screw with someone's name. In the military saw a senior chief master Sgt get totally chewed out for that by a colonel.
Yeah some people are idiots.... Fun fact due to filling out the form wrong my dad's legal first name is Joseph. He worked for his company for 40 years under his actual name Michael.
I had a Shift Supervison INSIST that I had to have my FULL first name on my badge. The MANAGER printed out my tag with what I go by - Dez for Desiree - shift supervisor went red in the face over it. I was working the service counter at a Sears Hardware.
I know I'm drinky, but you ALL need to KNOW that your NAME is what YOU want it to be for free. YOU DON'T have to PAY for it!. This is ALWAYS TRUE! But PAY your TAXES. If your personalities are Seven Days A Week... One in the morning and another for lunch and and they ( THE PAPA Ratz are just a bunch of Pervs kids trying to keep a pay pic up with YOU. People I know DON'T get Cameras).
I have a friend named Sam and that was not his birth name. He had a super girly and flowery name that did not fit him at all. One manager hated that his name was not a legal birth name and would threaten him constantly that his name tag could not be Sam, and he had to change it to his legal birth name. Sam refused and went to the higher ups. His name tag continued to be Sam for as long as I worked there, and that manager was transfered to another shift.
Also, my son has a super awesome name, but he has been called Bear for most of his life. Well, it started out as Merbear, then just shortened to Bear. In first grade his teacher had a questionnaire at the start and one was "My kid prefers to be called" and I wrote Bear. She literally told me she would NOT be calling him Bear, nor would she let any of his classmates call him that. Her argument was "He has such a unique and cool name, I refuse to call him anything but this name." Fair. I picked the darn name out, I know how much I love it. But generally his birth name was only used when he was in trouble, so he always thought he did something wrong when his teacher used it. He got so used to it that Bear is only used by family now. I still can't get mad about this one bc I do love his name and I love that he loves it as well. He knows it's pretty unique. (By unique, when I named him, less than 600 people alive had that name).
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My name has always singled me out. But I liked living in the South East and learning Names. Like SHU. Not shoe. This girl had so much to teach new peeps to the job she had to teach us to say.... Shu. Like I should. Or, short for Sugar? But, just Shu. I love you Girl." I should Have Done This, I Should Have Done That"... The only thing I payed attention. Such a wonderful person to know.
I had a classmate called Eddie and our new teacher didn't believe him and almost sent him to detention over it but the whole classroom had to explain to her that it was his actual name XD I'm from a Spanish speaking country, english sounding? names are not a extremely common thing yet
The manager would have a fit if he met my godmother's brother Graham, real name Keith, or my childhood best friend Maria-Christina, known as Kissy
i have the opposite problem my name is christie and ppl have called me kristen, christine, christina, christiane, crystal, any other female name with chris in it all bc they think christie is the nickname version. its annoys the hell out of me but its better then my dad saying rachael nicole greg brandy christie. id perfer a different version over all my siblings names plus the dog before my dad finally saying my name.
Christina here and I get Christine all of the time. I'm like, "ah". What? "There's an A at the end of my name. Christine-ah
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He could have accepted that name tag (reluctantly), and then anytime someone called him by the name on his tag to ask for assistance he could have ignored them, and then when some were sufficiently wound up explain to those that it isn't his name, he hadn't registered they were talking to him, he thought they were talking to someone else. But I mean, really, how often do customers pay attention to a sales assistant's name unless they are wanting to complain?
As someone with a painfully long unpronounceable name with a history of painfully awful first days of school, K - college, I feel this. My real name wouldn’t have fit on any badges I wore during my retail days.
Who uses "Rick" as a short form of Patrick? I'm not referring to the OP's name, as that is obviously Topher, but a part from the conversation with their manger. I come from Irish descent, so I know a lot of Patrick's/Pádraig's, and they are all either Pat, Paddy, sometimes Podge, or just Patrick. Rick is short for Richard.
And if you cant get another job and are being treated unjustly, you absolutely have the right to "deliberate" about it. No one should expect unjust or poor treatment just because folks like you do not wish to hear it. Condemn those that are treating others like trash, not the folks that think it is unacceptable.
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I would legally change my name to be pronounced as Christopher but spelt Phuqkov
I love it. A teacher refused to call me by name because I spelled it wrong and I refused to respond to Angela.
Load More Replies... Yep My Dad's middle name was Kimberlin (named after the jungle boy) He was always called Kim. I cringed sooo hard the first time I heard his boss call him Bob (his first name was Robert) I said Bob who and he said "your Dad, Bob" I said My Dad's name is Kim what moron call's him Bob. It was his boss who was the moron and when his secretary laughed at him for changing someone's name because he thought it was too feminine for a man he started calling him Kim the jungle boy to "butch" it up. What a jerk. I bet he would call me Chrissy when my name is Christina and I go by Tina.
My name is Kimberly,, my whole life I have gone by Kim. In school I wouldnt accept anything but Kim. Not Kimmy, not Kimberly except my Uncle becauae I love my uncle, just Kim. Moved to Scandinavia where Kim is mostly a man's name, especially in Denmatk..When I arrived at business meetings in Denmark people would get angry because they expceted a man not an American woman. So I started using Kimberly to make life easier. Today I am likenup yours I am Kim male female deal with it.
Load More Replies... My dad's name is Joseph Smith, which works perfectly for him because he was in the FBI for twenty five years. He loved when he had to go see a bunch of Mormons because they'd go pale and panic. He told me he used to hate how boring his name is, but it did come in handy sometimes.
Why didn't he just say Topher? The Internet isn't stupid. I mean it is, but...you know what I mean.
Because of the Reddit ToS and rules of the subreddit (no sharing of personal information).
Load More Replies... I'm a William and people called me Billy growing up. I never got why that made any sense at all. I started going by Will in my 20s and people who knew me all my life said calling me Will made no sense. I'm 55 now and a few people from my childhood call me Billy and when they do, I usually call them some stupid nickname version of their name. One cousin said, "But you'll always be Billy to me." I said, "You threw a fit last year when someone referred to you by your maiden name. You've been married for less time than I've been going by Will. Keep calling me Billy and I will address everything to your maiden name and introduce you as such."
The nickname Bill for William, likewise D**k for Richard dates to the 13 and 14th centuries. At this time there was a gag for swapping out letters to make rhyming nicknames. So you have Will Bill, Rob Bob, and Rick D**k, etc. For whatever reason, the original names got dropped, and people kept the rhyming name, Bill, Bob, and D**k. I wish I had a cooler answer for you.
Load More Replies... His name is Christopher and instead of going by Chris he goes by Topher. My best friend’s husband is called Topher at times and there are celebrities that go by that too. My name is Christina and go by Chris or Chrissy. Would he be offended me decided to go by Tina suddenly? It’s not even that serious lol.
Also, you can't choose your own name? Tell that to me or any other trans people
Hell there's an official government form FOR choosing your own name. Anyone can decide "hey I don't like the name my folks gave me" and just pick a new one.
Load More Replies... “You can’t choose the short form of your name” then who the f**k does?!?!
I work in customer service and would LOVE to have a work name! The sad part is I do wear a name tag and still get called "Honey" "Darling" and "Sunshine" A LOT.
I worked at a marketing center and people were allowed to use a different name if they wanted to. Like for clarity for people that were hard of hearing or English wasn't their native language. (You still had to give your phone employee number if requested.)
Load More Replies... Not a manager, but a teacher back in elementary school. As everyone can see, my name isn't exactly standard fare. This teacher insisted my name was Samantha, and told me my name was "wrong" and to write my "real name". I was 4, learned how to write before I even went to school, and the first thing I learned was my name. Well, my parents were very upset when I came home crying because a teacher told me my name was wrong, and she even tried to tell my parents that my name was "clearly" Samantha. Dad had to bring the birth certificate and everything to shut her up.
Best reply: If they refuse to let you go by "Topher," insist on "Christ." 🤣 P.s. -- don’t tell the Name Gatekeeper "Manager" about Margaret vis-à-vis "Peggy." 🤯
"If "Topher" makes you a little too uncomfortable to pronounce, just refer to me as your lord and savior" lol 😆
Load More Replies... There was a girl who worked in a local shop whose name was Nazarene, but went by (phonetic spelling) Nazee. But that's not how it was spelled on her name tag. She spoke English as a second language, so probably didn't realize that spelling it with an "i" at the end gave it a whole different meaning.
Just tell him since he doesn't like your shortened name to call you mr ..... formal last name. Then you will even seem more important than Seen. Lol
My BIL's brother goes by Buddy when his name is actually William. This manager would probably have an aneurysm.
My dad was one time at Panera's. Cashier asked for order name, my dads name is Basil. She turned around to look at the menu, it had basil soup and stuff on it. She said "Fine, if you dont want to tell me your real name". So my dad whipped out his drivers liscenes, she didnt make eye contact after that.
I had a similar situation with the DMV. My neighborhood streets were all named after places in England. I lived on Thames St. But when I got my driver's license, they had written the name as Thomas St. I went back to the DMV (this was before the internet), waited in line for 6 hours, and filled out the form to say "THAMES ST", and was a little annoyed when a few weeks later I get my new license which once again said "THOMAS ST". At this point, oh well. Fast-forward a year, and I was driving home from work in a loner car, and didn't know the plate had expired. Cop pulls me over within sight of my house. He asks me where I live, and I said right there (pointing). He looks at my license and says I'm lying. I tell him the whole story, and he follows me home and I have to unlock the door to prove I'm telling the truth. Then he gives me a warning, and says I have to go to the DMV and change the address. So I did again, and I got back my 3rd license that said "THOMAS ST".
Load More Replies... I have an in-law who I corrected many years ago because she called me by a name which is similar to my name but it's not my name. Ever since she goes out of her way to mispronounce my name with a strong emphasis watching me closely to see my reaction. I stopped objecting after a while because she was bashing me behind my back calling me petty for wanting to be called by my real name. I just didn't feel like spending anymore time sparring with someone who got some weird smug satisfaction over doing something which only proved her own pettiness. It would be nice if she would act like the Christian she professes to be.
My nephew's name is Jonathan. He has gone by his full name his entire life. He will not let people call him Jon or Jonny. It's Jonathan. When he was five years old I took him out for ice cream. He looks JUST like me so this woman assumed he was my son and that I was too young to have a son his age. I explained I was his uncle and just back from combat. She then asks him his name and he looks at me like, "Why is this strange lady asking my name?" He reluctantly told her. Then she says, "Well aren't you just a cutie pie Jonny?" He said, "My name is Jonathan." She was like, "What?" He said, "I told you my name is Jonathan and one minute later you called me Jonny." She said, "Jonny is a cute nickname for Jonathan." He said, "I don't have a nickname, it's Jonathan." Then she said, "Well aren't you a rude little boy." He said, "I'm actually I'm a good boy. I do what I'm told and I mind my manners. You are the rude one and I will tell my mother about you when we get home."
She looked at me for help and I said, "I heard him say his name was Jonathan and I have no idea why you'd call him Jonny. Maybe use his correct name and he will be polite to you." Then then cashier chimed in, "Hey Jonathan, I think you're name is great and you're always so polite when you come in here. Your next ice cream is on me." The lady stormed off in a huff. Turns out she ran into my nephew and his mom at church on Sunday. She didn't like what my sister had to say either. People are stupid.
Load More Replies... So, obviously his name is Christopher and he wants to go by Topher, like Topher Grace from That 70's Show. As a Cassandra I can feel his pain. I went to school with so many other Cassandras I started going by my middle name which you can actually see here, and I've also been in a similar situation to this guy, where a manager didn't think my name was real. I had to show her my birth certificate. Some people really are this stupid. Hope he stuck to his guns.
Cassandra is quite a name to assign to a child. I have always found her story to be so sad. I don't know why her over any of the other Trojan women, as they all had horrible ends. But maybe because she was cursed her whole life, and when finally there is indisputable cause to believe her prophecies, she is raped by the Greeks given as a sex slave to Agamemnon, then murdered by his estranged wife, Clytemnestra.
Load More Replies... When I was little(grade 3) I was kept in one lunchtime by a student teacher who called me a liar when I told him my name was Peta. He refused to listen to me ,even when I spelled it out and just kept saying "That a BOYS name"! Finally ,the principle happened to walk past and ask why I was still in the class room and seemed upset.The teacher told him that "this little madame refuses to tell me her REAL name".The headmaster told me to go outside and play and the student teacher spent the rest of the week doing admin in the office and was then gone the next week lol.
Place I used to work ( involved late nights & alcohol) so you can imagine how many creeps were about. ( why do middle age men think early 20s young women are flattered by all that creepy attention) this was the days before social media, anyway we were required to wear a name tag So management allowed us to just grab any old name tag out of a basket of name tags in the staff room that had belonged to past employees , sample tags from the engraver & ring in tags from other places. No one had their real name on & often the guys would have Angela or Jenny or Abigail on their lapel while the girls would be sporting David, John or Anthony. Stopped creeps finding out any personal details.
I don't get it, In Poland when you are born you get one or two names, parents decision and after the sacrament of confirmation you choose second if you had one name or third. You can legally go by any of the three names. And also there a catch. My given names are Aleksandra Anna... but in Poland, a short version for Aleksandra is Ola :) not near to the original at all... At work I go as Ola as it is way to long and official to use full name ;)
The owners son, a couple years younger than me, didn't want to hire me because he didn't like my name and thought it sounded too much like a stripper name. (There was a strip club 3 doors down his wife didn't know he frequented.) My immediate supervisor pulled for me to be hired because he knew I was qualified and was being recruited by other companies. When my supervisor was moving out of state I was to take over his position so they hired an assistant without my input. They hired her because she had the body of a 14 year old girl and a butt to match. But she was not as smart as a 14 year old. They had to move her to 3 different departments because she was completely incompetent.
I hate my name, Rebecca. My mom calls me Becky, other people call me Becca, online I am Beck. I would fight this manager dude. I would walk off if I had to have rebecca on my tag.
I've always liked Bex as a nickname for Rebecca.
Load More Replies... Lol, I got the 8 (years old) and 6 (last letters) mixed up and couldn’t think of a famous person who went by “Istopher”.
Well boss man is wrong if he were in say Canada. You can assume any name you want, also know as an alias... when I married I just assumed my husbands name, my birth certificate is different than my current name but I'm still legally the name I go by.
For those who may not know, you can change your complete name for *free* when you get married or divorced. You can spare yourself the BS of putting a notice in the paper or paying the $1500 (in Illinois) or whatever fee they declare necessary. I married a couple who decided they disliked their last names and chose a different one. Perfectly legal!
Why are you not just stating that your name is Christopher, Topher? It's not like there's a single person reading this article who didn't figure it out immediately.
Against the rules of the sub it was posted in, and there were plenty of people who didn't know what it was.
Load More Replies... My middle name is Scott and I go by Scotti. My former employer would not allow me to use that "nickname" and I had to go by my first name.
My step dads name is Anthony Robert he goes by ANDY lol always left me wondering but id never try to call him Tony cause that's not his name hasnt ever been.
My dad is Anthony Steven, first name after one of his uncle's, and that uncle had a conniption. He was like, "Nobody better call him Anthony, that's MY NAME" and his mom wouldn't call him Tony, so he's gone his whole life as Steve. Not one employer has ever questioned why he goes by Steve when his first name clearly is in no way ever considered Steve.
Load More Replies... When I was 19-20, my Burger King name tag said "Chuck Manson" for about two months.
How to mess with customers and management? Make them do a double take when they see the name tag 😆
Load More Replies... I knew my now spouse 4 years before I found out they go by their middle name and I didn't even know what their first name was.
I had a friend whose whole family went by their middle names. Their first names were honoring family, and middle names were what the parents liked I guess. His name was Richard but he went by Kellan bc that was his middle name. All his siblings were like that. I didn't even know his name wasn't Kellan for 5 years. I knew them that my kids middle names would honor family, and their first names were ones we liked. No confusion and every once in a while my 2 youngest girls request to go by their middle names bc they love sharing them with their grandparents, but it doesn't last too long.
Load More Replies... This is absolutely weird, doesn't make any money for Topher, doesn't make any money for the company. Doesn't build any leave or accrue ones 401k. All it does is make for hard feelings, totally counterproductive. And by the way, we now live in an age where you can change your sex, but not your name? This is totally nuts!
Sadly, the vast majority of people do not actually believe you can change your sex. Especially those in government, it seems.
Load More Replies... 1. As an adult you CAN choose your own name. The law says you don't even have to legally change it. I'm David. I could go by George if I wanted to as long as I am not doing it for illegal purposes like fraud. . 2. Topher is actually better for customers / boss. If a customer has a complaint about Topher, the boss would know exactly who they are referring to. If they had a complaint about David, chances are there is more than one person with my name working at whatever place. The worse case I saw of this was one work center in the navy. about two dozen of us in that work center. FIVE of us were named David. It worked out because military tends to go by last name anyway but it was rather amusing.
I thought this was my cousin for a while. Same name, but different spelling + we live in Scandinavia. So when OP said US would probably easily guess his name.. that should've been my biggest clue that it wasn't my cousin. But nope. I had to count the letters to be sure. Also; I have a friend named Patrick. I nicknamed him Patpat.it was approved.
Like others said, why the F would a customer care what the clerk's name is? Unless it was insulting or something stupid like hitler. Also the majority of foreign nationals that are answering your phone calls have been told to CHOOSE a different more American name to use with the public. Which is how you end up talking to a man in tech support named Julie.
At work I do not go by my given name, but when we get a new boss I let them know my real name and my prefered name. Had one boss who repeatedly called me by my given name and I ignored him when he did. One night he called over the intercom repeatedly for me to come to the office but I did not. Several people were looking around asking who he was calling. He finally came out to find me and was mad I didn't come to the office. I responded I didn't hear you call me. He claimed he did saying my name. I looked him in the eye and told him I do not respond to that name. The only one who calls me by my given name is my mother.
I mean, if Peggy is supposedly short for Margeret, then Topher can be short for Christopher. my husband is Richard. always been Richie to me, Dickie to his sisters, also answers to D**k, Rich... weirdly, I can't imagine him at all as a Rick or Ricky. but those are also perfectly normal abbreviations of Richard.
sometimes they call him Dikdik. because he's a little deer. :P
Load More Replies... My name is Marcia, pronounced mar-SEE-ah. Most Americans (for some unknown reason) pronounce it marsha. So, I drop the 'a' off and just go by Marci. I worked in a big-box retail store that changed its policy to 'you have to use your whole, actual birth name on your nametag'. I told them they could remove the 'a' from the end of my name or I would. They refused, so I removed it and refused to wear any replacements. I did not get fired.
I can't wait to see how this curmudgen handles "new age" names. BP has made several lists of 'wtf were parents thinking' when they named their kids. "REIGHFUL" Pronounced Rifle. I wish i could witness that!
first thing if something like this go to hr the floor mgr is only 1 tiny step above a floor worker he has no power or right to make any demand like that. i gone to hr\ over a supervisor and i gotten into some difficulties and i went over even hr not that i did not do what accused but that the hr punishment for anything was not the 3 step but she always used the 3rd most costly punishment for any breach this was a medical co and neither was anything to do with patient or safety to me warranted harshest punishment which i agree stand up for wron treatment and if necessary go to top
Tempest in a teacup. Being deliberately pedantic about a name that is clearly atypical, is wilfully disruptive. That said, I'm curious... is it pronounced "toe-fur" or "toffer"? If the latter, you might want to be prepared for people just going with "to$$er" instead. This is not a hill to die on, my friend.
I've worked in a warehouse environment where pretty much everybody has their name or nickname Sharpied onto the back of their hi-vis vest. Chick. Bud. Panda. Scoobie. Hubba. Snowy. I could go on.
The author, quoting a professional something or other, says that someone should never apologize with "IF" (I apologize if...). I agree most of the time, but I've been in situations in which the other person was oversensitive to something and said that I offended them. I knew I couldn't say I'm sorry if you're offended (like the pro said), because the other person was offended, but I believed I did nothing even remotely wrong. So I couldn't apologize for doing something that I don't think that was wrong of me. So how could I end the situation other than just lying and tossing out a fake apology? Sometimes that's ok to do if you don't know the person very well; but if you've already said that you don't think that what you did was wrong, they won't accept a false apology because they know you don't believe what you did was wrong?
Online I go by Su, a shortened version of my first name, Susan. My DIL wired me some money by Western Union in my nickname of Su. I went to Publix service desk to pick it up. I had the number of the transaction, ID and, obviously, knew the amount and who sent it. The b-word cashier told me she "didn't have to give (me) the money because the name didn't match my ID"! My address, phone, last name and all the other info was verified, including a 'password' used only with that transaction. She was just power-tripping. I told her it wasn't up to her to decide what name or shortened nickname I use. I said I would just go elsewhere if she didn't want to give it to me, but only after I spoke to her manager! I got my money!
FB lost a lot of members in 2015 when it refused drag artists the right to use their stage names on their profiles. I've used "Stannous/Stan Flouride (sic)" since 1978 and appeared on the first season of 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" using it and have the check made out to me in that name but FB wouldn't let me use it so I left at that same time. I removed a few thousand images and left it blank. It still exists because there's people on there I have no other way to communicate with.
I go by a shortened form of my name in pretty much all professional settings. No one has ever given me grief about it. Occasionally, when I do have to use my full name, people misspell it, so I usually just say it with the correct spelling as an add on (Stephen with a Ph). I have had some humors interactions when people go, so... phteven or even phtephen. I NEVER correct people when they do this, as I find it immensely hilarious.
Imagine this cockwomble coming to Africa (here) and seeing our local names on waiters' nametags at restaurants. "Hey boy!" "Sir you can't call me boy that is racist. My name is Nhlakanipho. Please pronounce it correctly."
"Emotional intelligence" is a figment of people's imaginations. It's certainly nothing more than a hippie dippie term, coined by some narcissistic feminist in the 70's and a contradiction in terms. Applying intelligence (thought) is a cause and the subsequent emotions about those thoughts are the effect. For sane people, this NEVER works in reverse. Emotions before thoughts are meaningless and are thus refuse.
I know someone who legally changed their name to the short form. You still get people insisting that's not his full name
My HR and store manager decided I couldn't put the nickname for my then soon-to-be legal name (I had been waiting on the paper to publish the change, which would make it official, but it was less a month away) on my badge. Meanwhile, Sweepy could have his nickname, completely unrelated to his legal name, on his badge just fine. Mine was just because of transphobia, though, this is just weird.
My family calls me Liss or Lissa. When I moved up north at a young age people started calling me Mel. I never liked it but I didn't say anything because I just wanted to go along to get along. Totally regret it now.
Even basic manager, leadership, and customer service training all stress the whole Cardinal rule of never screw with someone's name. In the military saw a senior chief master Sgt get totally chewed out for that by a colonel.
Yeah some people are idiots.... Fun fact due to filling out the form wrong my dad's legal first name is Joseph. He worked for his company for 40 years under his actual name Michael.
I had a Shift Supervison INSIST that I had to have my FULL first name on my badge. The MANAGER printed out my tag with what I go by - Dez for Desiree - shift supervisor went red in the face over it. I was working the service counter at a Sears Hardware.
I know I'm drinky, but you ALL need to KNOW that your NAME is what YOU want it to be for free. YOU DON'T have to PAY for it!. This is ALWAYS TRUE! But PAY your TAXES. If your personalities are Seven Days A Week... One in the morning and another for lunch and and they ( THE PAPA Ratz are just a bunch of Pervs kids trying to keep a pay pic up with YOU. People I know DON'T get Cameras).
I have a friend named Sam and that was not his birth name. He had a super girly and flowery name that did not fit him at all. One manager hated that his name was not a legal birth name and would threaten him constantly that his name tag could not be Sam, and he had to change it to his legal birth name. Sam refused and went to the higher ups. His name tag continued to be Sam for as long as I worked there, and that manager was transfered to another shift.
Also, my son has a super awesome name, but he has been called Bear for most of his life. Well, it started out as Merbear, then just shortened to Bear. In first grade his teacher had a questionnaire at the start and one was "My kid prefers to be called" and I wrote Bear. She literally told me she would NOT be calling him Bear, nor would she let any of his classmates call him that. Her argument was "He has such a unique and cool name, I refuse to call him anything but this name." Fair. I picked the darn name out, I know how much I love it. But generally his birth name was only used when he was in trouble, so he always thought he did something wrong when his teacher used it. He got so used to it that Bear is only used by family now. I still can't get mad about this one bc I do love his name and I love that he loves it as well. He knows it's pretty unique. (By unique, when I named him, less than 600 people alive had that name).
Load More Replies... My name has always singled me out. But I liked living in the South East and learning Names. Like SHU. Not shoe. This girl had so much to teach new peeps to the job she had to teach us to say.... Shu. Like I should. Or, short for Sugar? But, just Shu. I love you Girl." I should Have Done This, I Should Have Done That"... The only thing I payed attention. Such a wonderful person to know.
I had a classmate called Eddie and our new teacher didn't believe him and almost sent him to detention over it but the whole classroom had to explain to her that it was his actual name XD I'm from a Spanish speaking country, english sounding? names are not a extremely common thing yet
The manager would have a fit if he met my godmother's brother Graham, real name Keith, or my childhood best friend Maria-Christina, known as Kissy
i have the opposite problem my name is christie and ppl have called me kristen, christine, christina, christiane, crystal, any other female name with chris in it all bc they think christie is the nickname version. its annoys the hell out of me but its better then my dad saying rachael nicole greg brandy christie. id perfer a different version over all my siblings names plus the dog before my dad finally saying my name.
Christina here and I get Christine all of the time. I'm like, "ah". What? "There's an A at the end of my name. Christine-ah
Load More Replies... He could have accepted that name tag (reluctantly), and then anytime someone called him by the name on his tag to ask for assistance he could have ignored them, and then when some were sufficiently wound up explain to those that it isn't his name, he hadn't registered they were talking to him, he thought they were talking to someone else. But I mean, really, how often do customers pay attention to a sales assistant's name unless they are wanting to complain?
As someone with a painfully long unpronounceable name with a history of painfully awful first days of school, K - college, I feel this. My real name wouldn’t have fit on any badges I wore during my retail days.
Who uses "Rick" as a short form of Patrick? I'm not referring to the OP's name, as that is obviously Topher, but a part from the conversation with their manger. I come from Irish descent, so I know a lot of Patrick's/Pádraig's, and they are all either Pat, Paddy, sometimes Podge, or just Patrick. Rick is short for Richard.
And if you cant get another job and are being treated unjustly, you absolutely have the right to "deliberate" about it. No one should expect unjust or poor treatment just because folks like you do not wish to hear it. Condemn those that are treating others like trash, not the folks that think it is unacceptable.
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