For the rest of the summer, we will feature Respect Tips inspired by the Why Respect Matters section of the recently released Respect Effect by Paul Meshanko.
This is a major issue for me. It’s a twofold reason too. First, it is important to personally acknowledge someone and secondly, it is necessary to address them with the correct name.
Acknowledging someone by their name is one of the behaviors that people said were most likely to make them feel respected in the workplace. We are all given a name for a reason. It distinguishes us from someone else and makes us unique. So why shouldn’t you address someone by their name? To me, it just makes perfect sense.
Secondly, if you are going to address someone by their name, please get their name correct. I can’t tell you how many times throughout not only my life but my working career has someone called me by a name other than the one given to me. I really don’t consider my name that unusual that people can not remember it. But I have been called Melody, Michelle, Melinda, Melissa and any other name that starts with the letter M.
Start Now
Address someone by name. It could be a co-worker you pass every day in the hall, the postal worker that delivers the mail or anyone else who you are trying to get the attention of. And remember to get their name right. Then notice how they respond and react.
I enjoy addressing people by their name when I am out. It gives me a better experience and I hope lets the person waiting on me know that I appreciate them by thanking them with their name or using their name while we are “together”. It does bother me when employees are not wearing name tags or don’t introduce themselves (servers). I also try to provide a compliment to that person if they have provided me with good service.