Irrationally enraged by colleague's email signature, or is it inappropriate?

[Peakhim]

I have a newish colleague who has his email set up to give his full name, degree achieved (masters) followed by his full job title. This comes up in all internal emails and his job rarely involves sending external ones.

I think it's wanky and actually rude. No one else does it and many have more qualifications than him. People even comment on it and poke fun. I hoped he would notice by now that it's not done and take it down. It doesn't help that it comes up in really big letters after his normal sign off.

I'm his line manager and wonder whether to tell him to take it off but things aren't going well with him overall so I don't want it to look petty or like bullying.

But fuck, who does that??

Standard where I am to have your letters after your name. And full job title. It's a huge organisation so it's useful to know what people do and their expected level of proficiency. I would expect less of a graduate engineer than I would of a fellow of the institution, but I wouldn't automatically know which level they were without their letters

Maybe it’s how he used to do it at his old work and thinks it’s normal.

If you have a standard signature format then by all means tell him he isn’t following the procedure. If you don’t have a standard one, just leave it be.

And YY, all of the work emails I’ve had, we’ve had to put our job title.

I put my professional qualifications after my name and before my job title but that’s whats expected by my employer.

I came on to say the same as the last few posters, my workplace insist we include both degrees (plus slightly made up qualification that they make us do) and job title.

Maybe his last job did too?

Is it a shiny new degree? Perhaps he's just very proud of his achievement and still on a high.

Yours sincerely,

Count Chuckula
BSc (Bronze Swimming Certificate).

So hang on. You are his manager. People are making fun of him and you haven't put a stop to that?

It enrages you that he put his degree on his signature? And you think its rude?

Why is it rude? Do you feel he is putting people down? That says more about the people who feel put down. I dont have a degree. The woman who does the same job as me does have one. It means nothing. I dont feel put down when she mentions her degree course.

I think you need to be better at your job.

If theres a standardised email signature and he isnt using it, tell him. If there isnt one and people have license to do their own. Nip the work place bullying, in the bud.

Check yourself, for getting enraged someone is proud of the fact they have a degree and they feel that relevant to put on there

My boss does this and uses a green font that is outside house style. It looks odd and nobody else’s fault follows suit but he’s lovely. One of the nicest men imaginable, so it seems like a very, very small failing.

It is so cringy. There is someone who works in the same workplace but different location and she has all her degrees and certificates abbreviated in her signature It's cringy and funny at the same time. She has a very common name so people always add "the one with the long signiture" when talking about her.

That being said. I wouldn't say anything since eits not hurting anyone. Unless you have specifies signature rules. We have a set one and you shouldn't be going rogue so in this case it could be mentioned.

Totally normal in professional business environments. Maybe he assumed you were a bit more professional than you appear to be, OP? You sound like the knob in this one tbh 😳 but maybe I've just worked in more professional bluechip companies.

Do you not have a standard format everyone is expected to use? If not I'd ask him to reduce the larger text as that doesn't look professional but name and job title are standard where I work and degree fairly common (though I think it's odd).

This is standard where I work. It sounds like everyone's taken a dislike to him and it's turned petty. Does it really matter what email signature he uses let alone be enraged by it? Agree with pp that you should be stopping people making fun of him

Different companies do different things. I include my professional qualifications on my business cards, but not on my email.

If I had a phD, I would paint it on the side of my house - but only on MN are you never allowed to admit to such achievements.

Why not just point out that you can set up separate signatures automatically for replies to internal emails in your usual house style.

When I was a teacher there was a particularly arsey step-dad who was always writing in to school about head-lice or some such thing and always signed off xxxx xxxxPhd. It was very unlikely that he had any O levels never mind a Phd but, in the Staffroom, he was always referred to as xxxx xxxxPhd.

I don't see anything wrong with it. As his manager you should be stopping other staff members slagging off the poor lad about it, not joining in.

You sound like the typical bully that will find anything no matter how small to make fun of someone.

My professional qualifications are on my email signature, as that's the 'house style', but not degrees.

In my industry it is I grant you somewhat of an indicator of arrogance low self esteem and twattishness to sign your email with your letters but there's nothing wrong with it in theory it's just seen as silly because most of us have several we can put so it's pointless

However I agree with others you don't sound like you are supporting him or helping him , you are his line manager why are you not dealing with the comments people are making and that fact they are taking the mick

I am a university administrator and while the academics put their qualifications in their email signature, none of the professional services staff do.

...until our admin team was joined by a failed academic patronising arsehole who makes it clear they think they're better than all of us and has their signature as Dr Firstname Surname PhD MSc BA(Hons)

Yeah, we all had a snigger about it.

You could change yours to Peakhim BSC (Bronze Swimming Certificate)

Just an idea?!

He sounds more professional than you, OP.
Perhaps you’re having trouble with him because he is having a tough time with colleagues and crap line manager? 🤷🏽‍♀️

I’m echoing previous posters, it’s quite normal in a lot of professional settings. Don’t see how putting letters after your name is rude. You need to tell your employees to quit making fun of him because even if you think he doesn’t know, I bet he does.

I've noticed that you add a qualifications and job role signature to your email. Although I gather that's the norm in some places, it's not something we do here. It would be best if you deleted it I think, as it somewhat jars with our company ethos. Don't worry about it - it's not a big deal. It just doesn't really work here" - don’t send that, it’ll make you sound completely unhinged, and if I got something like that from a colleague I’d file it away as evidence in case I needed to raise a grievance

I don’t think you should tell him to take it off, but just mention to him in a friendly way that it’s not really the done thing and that people might laugh at him. You’d be doing him a favour.

Hwory what are you on about? There’s no evidence that OP is a bully.

You're the manager - enforce a standard email signature for your team.

@Putthatlampshadeonyourhead

Completely agree. You aren’t doing yourself any favours here.

In some companies this is totally normal. You allowing snide comments in the office is way off base.

We all have our signatures in both English and the language of head office, even if we never communicate with head office. We also include full titles- and am surprised you think that’s not appropriate. He’s new- how else will people know his role across the business?

And bloody hell. He’s worked hard in his education. If he wants it there he can, unless you grow your professionalism and ask him to remove it and suggest an alternative.