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Are you on a first name basis with your boss?

lithium180

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Our entire company (48k people) is all first name basis. I dislike it because it suggests that there isn't such a rigid heirarchy, when in fact there is.

Then again, I'm younger than the majority of my colleagues by about 20-30 years so the system probably wasn't set up with me in mind...
 

amerikajinda

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Yes, I call him "Dick"
 

ken

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I'm on a nickname basis with my boss.
 

larsrindsig

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I'm in Europe. Formality/courtesy doesn't factor in at all - not in school, not at work, not in social life.
frown.gif
To clarify: first name and odd looks if using last name.
 

kwilkinson

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I wasn't, and never have been. I'm not on a first name basis with any adult that I respect, other than my friends.
 

spertia

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I can't imagine NOT calling my boss by his first name.
 

thekunk07

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i own my company but have never called my prior bosses by anything but their first name.
my last company's CEO's name was larry. i called him Lars or Regal Beagle which will be lost on all but the fans of Three's Company.
 

Spatlese

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Originally Posted by lithium180
Our entire company (48k people) is all first name basis. I dislike it because it suggests that there isn't such a rigid heirarchy, when in fact there is.

Then again, I'm younger than the majority of my colleagues by about 20-30 years so the system probably wasn't set up with me in mind...


Pretty much the same for me. The company is > 100 years old, so in my case, this probably evolved over time.
 

lithium180

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Originally Posted by Spatlese
Pretty much the same for me. The company is > 100 years old, so in my case, this probably evolved over time.

In my case, the bulk of the middle to upper middle management that I work with are MDs and PhDs and I hate that it's not a given to call them Dr xy. That sort of accomplishment doesn't seem to carry as much public currency as I suspect that it once did...
 

grimslade

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I have never not been on a first-name basis with any boss I've ever had. I can't imagine having a boss I had to call Mr./Ms., nor would I ever expect anyone to call me Mr. (or Ms.
rimshot.gif
). Then again, I tell my kids' friends to call me by my first name.
 

Gravitas

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It is kinda different for me because i'm young and my job is very informal, but yes, first name basis with both of my bosses. I'm still not 100% sure what their last name even is.
 

MetroStyles

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Everyone at my company is on a first-name basis.
 

shoreman1782

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Originally Posted by lithium180
In my case, the bulk of the middle to upper middle management that I work with are MDs and PhDs and I hate that it's not a given to call them Dr xy. That sort of accomplishment doesn't seem to carry as much public currency as I suspect that it once did...

On the flipside, I once had a tyrannical boss (PhD) who insisted EVERYONE called her Dr. LastName. Her brother was dir of bus development, and HE called her Dr.

Really turned me off to the workplace formality thing.
 

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