AIBU to call my colleagues out on constantly spelling my name wrong?

[gretagreengrapes]

I started a new job about 8 weeks ago. Certain team members spell my name wrong on every email, despite it being in the email address, on rotas, telephone lists etc. I'm finding it a little rude and careless to be honest.

Think Tracey/Tracy, Clare/Claire... but with more than one letter difference, more Sean/Shaun.

AIBU to call them out on it, and how do I tell them?

@Oldbutstillgotit mentioned the spelling of Ann/Anne.
A friend had to give her name when registering at a conference, and mindful of the spelling problem, replied,
'Anne with an e Smith'.
'Do you spell that with an e?'
Yes, that's right. Anne, with an e, Smith'.
'So an e before the y?'
The name written down?
Ann Witherney- Smith

It doesn't bother me unless I worked with someone with the same name so would cause issues (if it did that is) but there are multiple ways to spell my name

I get this all the time. My name is one of these ... Juliet, Julia, Julianna

Every single time I get JULIE. And no offence to the Julie's out there but I don't like it and it's not my name!

I say something though. I don't 'call people out' but I just put in brackets at the end of email/ message (PS it's Julia/Julianna/Juliet and not Julie - smiley face) and that sorts out the issue usually

Maybe this is really about being new at work and not feeling like you are known yet. People getting your name wrong is indicative of their not knowing you.

My name can be spelled two different ways and shortened in a couple of different ways.

One person - who I’ve known for years - uses completely the wrong spelling, the wrong variant or shortens it in a way I never have. I honestly can’t summon up enough energy to care. It’s not disrespectful, it’s an honest mistake. It’s probably because they know someone else with the variant spelling and they use it out of force of habit. But maybe it doesn’t bother me because I know that they know me in a way that is more important than knowing how to spell my name.

William Shakespeare didn’t even spell his own name consistently. What does it matter, really?

I’m sure if you tried hard you could find some important things to get worked up about.

I have an Isabelle and it drives her WILD when she gets cards at Xmas spelled wrong. Inevitably, the handwriting gives it away that it was a parent that wrote it, because the ones the kids write are always spelled correctly!

As she said last year "ITS ON THE LIST!!" so there is no excuse except that the kid is reading out the name maybe, so Mum or Dad doesnt actually see the spelling!

I suspect that by the time she is at work she will either be laid back or completely murderous about it :o

("wrongly" not "wrong")

You should change your pronouns to Xir/Xer. That will teach them.

I got a work name badge with my name spelt wrong, so I refused to wear it. Work said I had to wear a name badge. So I became Brian. It was the only other badge lying around. They very quickly got me a new badge with the correct spelling.

People have a point with different spellings.

But that really doesn't apply when you have someone's name right there infront of you. Kids can copy somple text 🤷🏻 Adults should be able to too

My name has an alternative spelling. If I am mentioned in an email with the wrong spelling E.g. ‘Katy will be responsible for X’ rather than ‘Katie will . . .’ I won’t realise it’s me.

I worked with a couple of different people who always had issues with others spelling their names incorrectly. It’s definitely to do with the variations in name spelling rather than the individual. I doubt it’s malicious.

I’d say something. Just to clarify for future emails my name is spelled x not y. I wouldn’t normally be so pedantic but I’m worried I’ll miss out on important emails.

Use the first sentence only of this response. It’s not pedantic.

For goodness sake-it really doesn’t matter. Tell them directly if it upsets you so much, but surely there is more in life to get worked up over than this.

Op this happens to
Me all the time at work and it's infuriating. However it's not a spelling issue it's a 'can't be arsed to read to the end of the email'
The name of the company I work for contains a word that can be used as a mans name.
Although my name and job title are clearly at the bottom of every email, 95% of email replies start of with 'Hi Mans name'

And I'm female

@Happymum12345

For goodness sake-it really doesn’t matter. Tell them directly if it upsets you so much, but surely there is more in life to get worked up over than this.

I don't agree. Name is a big part of me. It was given me with a thought. It's also incredibly disrespectful.

I get this all the time,it really irritates me!
One of my friends is particularly bad at spelling my name yet always complains that people spell hers wrong! It kind of makes me laugh how angry she gets but still insists on getting mine wrong.

I also wear a name badge at work,still nobody gets it right. I don't even have what I would consider an unusual name.

I try my best to make sure that I always get names right as I know how annoying it is. If I'm not sure on spelling I ask,I also ask how to pronounce names as I like to make sure I get it right.

Also people make up how to say and spell my surname and add in an extra letter or two 🤷🏼‍♀️

I have a first name that people often slightly misspell and also a surname that can be a first name. So I get all sorts of combinations of first name or get referred to by my surname. Even though my name is easy to see on my email signature.

It used to annoy me but now I use it as way of spotting who is careless and doesn't pay any attention to detail.

I would maybe point it out once more and leave it at that. It is rude though - it gives the impression they don't care.

DS1's name is relatively unusual (but not weird) and is spelt the 'normal' way. (ends in a 'y')

His dad's entire family spell it with an 'i' on every card they ever send.

He's twelve.

I spelt a niece's name wrong once when sending the family flowers and got an arsey text about in instead of thanks. (I had used the usual spelling, but they've chosen an unusual one)

Yes, raise it as serious matter. It's rude and not okay to get a name wrong consistently. It's bloody well unprofessional at the least. And could lose clients if they are that fucking sloppy with names. Do they know how to ask how to pronounce a name? They need to learn some manners. The world has moved on from 'how we've always done it'.

[quote Scarby9]@Oldbutstillgotit mentioned the spelling of Ann/Anne.
A friend had to give her name when registering at a conference, and mindful of the spelling problem, replied,
'Anne with an e Smith'.
'Do you spell that with an e?'
Yes, that's right. Anne, with an e, Smith'.
'So an e before the y?'
The name written down?
Ann Witherney- Smith[/quote]

This happens to me all the time. It is infuriating. The weirdest thing I get is a completely different name to my own! So my name is Heidi, but I routine get called Kayleigh (Yes Hayley would make more sense......!!!). By numerous, different people throughout my life. I personally take time to make a note of people's names and spellings and even nicknames. I think it's just manners to spell names properly. It's your defining name!!

I have a name with both first name and surnames with different spellings. I regularly get email within the NHS trust meant for another person. I have gradually become more terse in my replies.I even get emailed mid chain for some reason I am thinking of incident reporting tbh if I get something that's urgent and clinical but idk if it would help anything 🤷🏼‍♀️

Back in my temping days, I had my agency contact spell my name wrong on EVERY single email she sent to me. I always signed off with my full name spelt correctly, and my name was in my email address. I corrected her every time but still she spelt it wrong. The final straw was when the agency christmas card arrived with it spelt wrong.

So I started spelling her name wrong in my emails. It took exactly 3 emails for my name to miraculously be spelt correctly in all further correspondence.

I have a very odd foreign surname which is rarely spelt and never pronounced correctly. When I give someone my name and then spell it out for them, they still write it down wrong, because it is not pronounced as it is spelt and people automatically write it down phonetically. Even if people know my name, they tend to revert to spelling it in a way that would make more sense in English.

It doesn't bother me, people don't do it on purpose to have a go at me or to be mean. So many of our functions are carried out automatically so that we don't even think about them. This is the way that I look at people not being able to get their heads around my name.

Having said that, in a workplace it makes your colleagues look unprofessional if they're constantly spelling your name in different ways in reports etc, so I think a polite email to clarify might be in order.

I have a last name that is also a girls first name. So annoying people call me that in emails all the time! Even though it’s clearly written there as my surname.