Discussion » Questions » Jobs » At work do you address a supervisor or manager by name or title, Mr. Mrs?

At work do you address a supervisor or manager by name or title, Mr. Mrs?

I work in a hospital.  I address my supervisors, managers and even the president/CEO by first name.  But recently I observed in a Walgreens a clerk. probably in her 50s having to address a manager in his 20s as "Mr."  Pretentious crap.

Posted - March 15, 2017

Responses


  • Always by their first name. Sometimes by their nickname. When I was working for the Japanese the managing director got either a Mr Ohashi or Ohashi-san. Both were acceptable. (Japanese managing directors are one step up from God.)
      March 15, 2017 9:16 PM MDT
    5

  • That is probably for the best.  He might be a ninja and could kill you will his pinky if you were disrespectful.
      March 15, 2017 9:21 PM MDT
    3

  • Worse. On one occasion I stuffed things up and one of the Japanese guys came to see me. He said, "If you ever do this again I will bring a ceremonial knife into this office and watch you ritually disembowel yourself." 

    I think he was joking but I never put him to the test. 
      March 15, 2017 10:32 PM MDT
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  • "Stuffed things up"?  Slang for "did it wrong"?
      March 16, 2017 9:04 AM MDT
    1

  • Yes indeed. Sometimes I forget that Australian slang is not universal. I think that one is actually British. 

    BTW I may have just reported you accidentally. (I hit the "Report" button instead of the "Reply" button. Sorry.
      March 16, 2017 1:33 PM MDT
    0

  • AH! That explains the black van across the street.
      March 16, 2017 2:18 PM MDT
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  • But what does this reporting mean in the world of AM?
      March 16, 2017 2:34 PM MDT
    0

  • 2960
    I try not to speak their name. Their name summons evil, for they are the spawn of hell.
      March 15, 2017 9:22 PM MDT
    4

  • May the gods protect you.
      March 15, 2017 9:34 PM MDT
    2

  • It really depends on the manager. I worked for a privately owned company before and he preferred that I use the title of Mr. with his last name. As a default though I usually use their first name. My exception was with my job with Enterprise. We had one branch manager and two assistants. Their names were John, John, and Juan. In that case, I used their last names to avoid confusion. Typically I'll just use their first names. More and more employers and supervisor prefer that anyway.
      March 15, 2017 11:05 PM MDT
    3

  • It's always been first name.
      March 16, 2017 6:24 AM MDT
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  • 20
    My boss now we use her first name and the job prior to that the boss also allowed his first name.   Its usually the small and insecure with something to proove who get on the major power trips and demand to be called Mr. or Mrs.  
      March 16, 2017 6:36 AM MDT
    1

  • I just always called  them Hey  and Excuse me.
      March 16, 2017 8:24 AM MDT
    1

  • 22891
    i usually just start talking to them and dont call them anything
      March 16, 2017 5:37 PM MDT
    0