A Mumbai woman has sparked a conversation on Instagram after sharing her discomfort with a common workplace practice of addressing seniors by their first names. In a video, Samridhi Sharma spoke about how difficult it has been for her to adjust to the informal style of communication often followed in corporate offices.
(Also read: Indian man in Singapore says corporate culture sold ‘a big lie’: ‘It’s just exhaustion with a salary slip’)
Sharing her experience, Sharma said that she was surprised when she realised that employees were expected to call even senior colleagues by their names, regardless of age or designation.
“My meeting just ended right now, and... I hate this corporate concept! For the people who don't know, no matter how senior someone is to us, age-wise or work-wise, we have to call them by their name,” she said in the video.
She then gave the example of her manager, Garima, and explained why addressing her by name felt uncomfortable. “For example, my manager's name is Garima, and she is so much older than me that she has grandkids, literally. So when it was the first meeting for my project, I was calling everyone 'Ma'am, Sir, Ma'am, Sir' like that. And then my manager tells me, 'Please call me by my name!' I was like, 'No, no, no! I can't call you by your name, oh my...'”
(Also read: ‘This day is my favourite’: Indian man praises UK corporate culture after painting zoo railings with colleagues)
‘I call her Garima Ji’
{{/usCountry}}(Also read: ‘This day is my favourite’: Indian man praises UK corporate culture after painting zoo railings with colleagues)
‘I call her Garima Ji’
{{/usCountry}}Sharma said that her manager understood her hesitation and told her that she would slowly get used to the work culture. “She said, 'You've just come from college, right? That's why it will take you time to settle down. You'll get used to these things.' It's been 4 months now, and I'm not able to settle down. I call her 'Garima Ji,'” she added.
The woman further said that this corporate habit felt at odds with the values she had grown up with. “I mean, you are telling me that the values I was taught since childhood—to respect elders, to address them with respect, to not even speak to them without saying 'yes, please'—and you are telling me to just call them by their name?! Meaning, those 22 years of education went down the drain, and I'm supposed to settle down in 4 months??? If this is what we had to do, then why were we taught such huge books on moral values?”
She shared the clip with the caption, “Am I the only one getting irritated by this”.
Watch the clip here:
Internet reacts
The video drew several reactions from Instagram users, with many saying they could relate to her situation. One user wrote, “I still cannot call my seniors by their first name, it feels so strange.” Another said, “Adding Ji is the perfect Indian middle ground.” A third commented, “Corporate culture and Indian upbringing are always fighting in my head.” Someone else wrote, “This is so true, respect is deeply rooted in us.”
(Also read: HR calls out colleague, management in resignation email over employee treatment)
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)