Work won’t change my name after marriage

[Workproblem1]

I’m hoping someone can give me some advice. I got married 6 weeks ago, filled in all the forms at work before I went off, so it would be done before I got back to work. I emailed IT and gave the information and asked for my emails and usernames to be changed. The only things they have changed is my payroll and the name on my email account. My email address is still my maiden name and my usernames for the different computer systems are still in my maiden name. I was told they have changed everything that they can but it’s left me really deflated, it’s important for me to change my name I think it looks untidy and unprofessional to have an email address that doesn’t match the name. It’s also causing a lot of confusion with my clients who I have regular email contact with.

Has anyone had the same problem and can offer some advice? I don’t want to use my maiden name for work purposes as it’s not my name anymore and want everything the same.

So much for a WOMANS RIGHT TO CHOOSE !!

So many snippy replies from people who CHOSE not to change their names on marriage. Good for you. However, it's a personal choice and the one this OP wishes to make.

As for it being 'impossible' that's just bollocks. I work in the civil service in one of the largest gov departments. Over a hundred thousand employees and I changed from my maiden name to married, then again when I remarried. As an earlier poster said what about someone who had escaped an abusive marriage and CHOSE to change back to her maiden name. ? I expect that would have garnered a lot more sympathy.

Legally they have to make the changes.

I know this seems overkill but GDPR requires accurate data collection and processing. Given your logins and email contain your name you can insist they change the systems. I would find your companies privacy policy and/or DPA policy and in there you should find reference to correcting inaccurate data.

Email HR, IT and the Data Protection Office and ask them to correct the inaccurate data. You could add in what about people who change their name by deed poll to avoid DV, what about people who change their name for gender reassignment. Also point out that marriage, like gender reassignment and sex are protected characteristics under the Equality Act. Hint women typically change their name on marriage so it’s potentially both sex and marriage discrimination.

Heavy handed, extreme, definitely, but this is 2022 there is no excuse for IT systems not being able to accept a simple name change.

YANBU I have 4 different email aliases on my work account. It's a simple thing for even the most basic of IT teams, your company are taking the piss.

This shouldn’t be difficult for the IT department to do - it’s not like you’re the first person to ever change their name!

I expect it’s just not a priority for them. I would concentrate on the email to start with, as that is looking unprofessional to clients. Log this as a specific single request & then keep hounding them! When they’ve done this you can ask them about your internal systems - which shouldn’t need a new account, just someone with the rights to change your Username.

Good luck!

That's rubbish as I do it all the time, basically add the new name as an email alias and make that the new default.
Network Ids a bit more fiddly and it is a good idea to rename the home folder at the same time but still perfectly possible

I understand completely OP's pov. How hard can this be in 2022. I have similar issues and also with SAGE payslips re similar issues. Also employees want to change their e-Mail address, which is not uncommon these days, and then losing all their history of sage Payslips and p60's.

I think it's disgraceful, in this age. Utterly ridiculous.

Is marriage a protected characteristic?

Also the posters saying OP's clients won't mind. That's not the point. She minds. It should be easy.

So many snippy replies from people who CHOSE not to change their names on marriage.

Really? Where are they? Quite a few, please.

When someone changes there name my work create a new email address with the new name as an alias and all emails addressed to your new name and your old name end up in the same inbox. It's a really helpful way to do it because there will be people out there who have your email address and don't know that you have changed your name when they need to contact you. Outgoing emails go from your new name and new email address. It sounds like your IT are being lazy!

Not necessarily. Depending on the IT systems used, it's ONE account which can handle both an old and new email address. It's really common.

Yes along with Civil Partnership

It is not silly at all, and the OP is perfectly entitled to be known as whatever name she wishes. How about a situation where someone divorced and returned to their previous name? Or changed gender from a male name to a female name or vice versa?

There is something wrong with your IT department and how they have set up the systems if the systems prevent change! If it was able to be done twenty years ago (when I worked in IT) it should be able to be done today.

I think I'd be contacting the head of the department and asking what was the problem!

Surely it would be a massive disruption with ripple effects on client databases if you were to use a new email address?

And I can't see how advertising your marital status looks professional?

People get married and divorced all the time and get on with their lives. Nobody bats an eyelid. It's a big palaver to expect IT to keep up with it all though.

Don’t be so ridiculous this is a minor change and an IT system that can’t cope with people changing their name is likely to be poor in other areas.

As you say people get married and divorced all the time so this is just a routine change. HMRC, DVLA, Passport Office, Banks, Councils, utility suppliers can all cope so it’s not unreasonable for an employer to do it when it is a GDPR requirement.

Not everyone works in an office you know, there are whole swathes of society that gasp don't have a work email address!

I kept my old email address and just s out every single time I give it out they ask me if it's really mine (double checking 'c' not 'l' for example). So it can be frustrating simply from that point of view.
There's no reason they can't change it, it just requires them to actually do it and they are just being stubborn. Push it.

Ooo good even more the reason then for OP!

For those saying that OPs email name not matching her sign off name 'wouldn't be an issue/confusing'... in my workplace / industry that would be really odd and weird and confuse the hell out of my clients.

If my name used to be Jane Smith, and I changed it to Jane Jones.. my email would be jsmith@work , changing to jjones@work. It's not uncommon at all in my industry for clients to look at colleagues emails and just guess the other emails as they all follow the same initial.surname@work pattern.

Internal accounts I could probably live with but I also would want my email to match my name. I expect OP intends to keep her new name forever now, so it makes sense her email address for the rest of her time at that company would be her actual name.

My email address is my married name, but the name associated with my email address is my old name. There are more important things to get worked up about.

I genuinely can't fathom the type of person who would think less of you because you've recently got married but your email hasn't yet been updated. Calm down.

It took months for something similar to be sorted for a colleague. No idea why. Irritating - sure. But it's really not the massive deal you're making it out to be.

I did it in my old job when I got married and they also put a redirect onto the old one so that when people email you it just automatically comes to the new one and it’ll reply to them from new address. That was over a decade ago so surely they can do it now!

How many times do you actually physically say your name then spell your email address out though?

Do you need your work contacts to know your married?
I'm genuinely struggling to see the issue?

This has data protection stamped all over it. They are retaining data that is inaccurate and refusing to use your legal name.

Speak to your data officer, cc in HR and IT...