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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Wearing a name badge at work

96 replies

Darkestnight · 05/01/2019 15:27

I have to wear a name badge at work but would just prefer a id card instead. I really don't like having my name on public show and if anyone wanted my name I would just give it or show my id badge.
Aibu to not want my name on show. I know it's part of my uniform and wear it but I prefer it if I didn't have to wear it.

OP posts:

PoutySprout · 05/01/2019 15:57

Interesting. A friend has raised this with their NHS Trust citing GDPR. As others have said, NHS staff need to be identifiable to patients without having to ask, so “John” isn’t good enough.

Lweji · 05/01/2019 15:59

I'm finding this kind of funny.

At work, not only I have my photo and my full name on display on their website, but also what is essentially my short work history.

What do you think happens by people you meet knowing your first name, or even surname?

SauvignonBlanche · 05/01/2019 16:00

Our students are given 2 student IDs - one with their full name that is their official student ID, and one with their first name only that they use for clinical.
That won’t be an option for them at many trusts when they qualify so I don’t know why it is during their training.

NaughtToThreeSadOnions · 05/01/2019 16:01

I understand the stalker and social media issue but it really pretty standard that you have either on display in most pkaces you work even in offices.

I think the solution is having a fake name. Tbh i dont notice name badges in shops etc

But generally i think youbare beinv slightly ur.

HighsandLows77 · 05/01/2019 16:02

@LittleKitty1985 i worked with someone called chevonne it was definitely meant to be spelled that way. I actually prefer that spelling too.

ChrisPrattsFace · 05/01/2019 16:02

I used to forget my badge all the time, because didn’t like being called by my name at work by clients.
Now it’s sewn onto our scrub tops! My names used fifteen times a day and I don’t like it.
Personal preference, no particular reasoning behind it!

Aquamarine1029 · 05/01/2019 16:02

Back in the early 90's when I was 19-ish, I worked for a retailer and had my full name on my badge. A man (total stranger to me) called the main office claiming to be my husband, (I was NOT married), he then asked for my work schedule and they GAVE IT TO HIM. I was stalked by this freak for months and I had to have the police involved. It was a nightmare. No name badges for me.

WorraLiberty · 05/01/2019 16:03

It's years since I worked in retail or a call centre but we used to be allowed to use a false name as long as we were consistent in using the same name at work.

Yes, staff at my local council are allowed to do that.

Lweji · 05/01/2019 16:04

Out of curiosity, do you think school teachers should use fake names or withhold their names from the children or parents?

Polarbearflavour · 05/01/2019 16:07

I think teaching is a bit different to working in a shop. You see the children every day and their parents at parent evenings.

In a shop you deal with random, sometimes very strange members of the public.

Til89 · 05/01/2019 16:08

I used to work in a supermarket and we were allowed a nickname on the badge.

Lweji · 05/01/2019 16:13

In a shop you deal with random, sometimes very strange members of the public.

As if parents cannot be strange?

I really don't see the difference. I've worked in shops before. Now I have a public work profile in many platforms too, in addition to the work site. It could attract weirdos from all over the world.

I don't get the worries about random people walking into a shop knowing your first name, even your last.

Lweji · 05/01/2019 16:14

What do people actually think could happen?

Cerseilannisterinthesnow · 05/01/2019 16:14

Name badge is only my first name my is badge is first and last name

Myimaginaryreindeerhasfleas · 05/01/2019 16:17

The thing is, OP, your name is more than just a private thing, it’s your public label too. You could ask for a version of your name that you are happy for people you don’t know to use. That’s not unreasonable.

Grace212 · 05/01/2019 16:21

Lweji "At work, not only I have my photo and my full name on display on their website, but also what is essentially my short work history."

I refused this with my last two employers, they were fine. Sadly a lot of people have had problems with this so although one did grumble, he had to admit I wasn't the only person who wanted to do this.

of course there are jobs where you have to be identifiable but I think that serving on a shop floor doesn't need to be one of them.

goodwinter · 05/01/2019 16:22

I worked in insurance admin doing inbound calls and occasionally a very irate customer would ask for my full name (we give our first name at the start of every call) "for their records".

I always politely refused, reminding the customer that all calls are recorded and I'm the only person on my team with my (very uncommon) first name, so if they wanted to refer back to the conversation they were able to do that without having my surname.

Petalflowers · 05/01/2019 16:23

I hate name badges also.

I work in a customer facing environment also, and sometimes hate it when people call me by my Christian (is that the modern pc term?) name? Part of me wishes we still had the etiquette of calling people by your sirname, unless you knew the person in a more familiar way. Ie. Family rather than business.

Lweji · 05/01/2019 16:23

there are jobs where you have to be identifiable but I think that serving on a shop floor doesn't need to be one of them.

As others pointed out, if a customer wants to complain or refer to the person who served them, it might.
As a customer it's often annoying not to be able to tell who last served me.

goodwinter · 05/01/2019 16:24

What do people actually think could happen?

If you search my full name, you can find my social media. I don't want to run the risk of a customer being able to find me and contact me outside of work in any way.

When I worked in hospitality, there was one guy in particular who got very creepy with me to the point that my manager barred him. I'm not taking any chances with people I don't know. If that makes me unreasonably risk averse, fine, I'm keeping myself safe.

goodwinter · 05/01/2019 16:25

I do accept that maybe it's different for me as both my first and last name are incredibly uncommon; put them together and I'd be shocked if anyone else in the world shared my full name.

Lweji · 05/01/2019 16:29

If you search my full name, you can find my social media. I don't want to run the risk of a customer being able to find me and contact me outside of work in any way.

Maybe be more careful on social media, then...

Polarbearflavour · 05/01/2019 16:29

I personally know people who have been stalked by customers so...it does happen.

Grace212 · 05/01/2019 16:29

agree with poster who said if staff have to wear full name badges, so do customers. That way staff can tell each other "Watch out for John Prat, he's really horrible".

I'm another one with an unusual name and surname and having your ex turn up at your work is fucking awful!

Lweji · 05/01/2019 16:33

Anyone can stalk anyone. If a customer wants to stalk you, they don't need your full name.

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