Unprofessional to use a nickname at work?

[Lioncubhearted]

Does it give a better impression to use your given name?

Are you content to answer to your Anglicised name
I don't know because I've never been called it before! I suppose I'm worried I might not answer someone by mistake and it might be weird. Or I might get used to it 🤷‍♀️

If it’s the name you’re normally known by then fine. We’re all used to Kasia and similar as Polish diminutives now.

eh, I think you'll find I only use Tits to my closest confidants. Work relationships purely use Chebby

I would use the name you are comfortable with. If you just introduce yourself with that name I doubt anyone would think much of it.

It's a little bit dependent on the shortening. I worked with an Agnieszka who would have preferred Aga, but that just doesn't really work in an international English environment so no one felt comfortable and kept using her full name. Agnés to Aggie and Barbara to Baz were much more readily adopted. If previous colleagues have been ok with it, I'd pick whichever name you feel most comfortable with.

There are a few variations for my name. One particular anglisisation drives me nuts, but since I answer and occasionally use the other, I feel like I can't really complain!

Exactly the same situation for me. It's my name. It's what I'm called. If others have a problem with it, or think my name is too cutesy or whatever, they can shut up.

Don't worry what others may think. Use the name you feel comfortable with.

I've never worked in an office before, until
now I worked in a very informal environment (think jeans/t-shirt out on sites kind of job).

I think we should be over having to ‘anglicise’ names now. Unless someone has been living in a hole in the ground I would think everyone has come in contact with someone with an Eastern European, Asian or African name. People should use their given name or a nickname they’ve chosen themselves or are called by family/friends. Unless perhaps it’s a call centre and half of the phone call is taken up by repeating/spelling your name (and I’ve just seen another thread where apparently name changing in this environment is more the norm.)

Is it possible/would you want to have your email address set to your nickname rather than your full name? If so you could just go by that and no one needs to engage with your full name. It's hard to comment on whether it sounds professional but from what you've said I think it will be fine. If you want or need to keep your full name in your email, just put your nickname in brackets in the sig.

I think email address being different from first name on passport is fairly common. People being known by their middle name for example, where it makes a lot more sense their email to be set up as Middlename.Surname. I was at school with someone who disagreed with her dad on how to spell her own first name, it was used that infrequently (and was Katherine so lots of options)

It'll be fine. If you want to use a nickname, just introduce yourself as that to begin with, rather than your full name.

I'm Louise, but most people shorten it to Lou at work, or sometimes Lulu. I actually prefer Louise, but not enough to correct people!

I once worked with a Polish woman called Dorota. The diminutive was Dot, which was perfectly professional. Changing to Dorothy would have been unnecessary and weird. Not sure if that’s reasonably close to your situation, or whether your diminutive sounds like a silly nick name to British ears. Either way, if it’s your name and a traditional diminutive I say you should stick with it.

I'll have to wait and find out about emails. It was a bit a hassle at my last place as they only allowed full first name surname format and no one could figure out what my email was from my being known only by my nickname.

@StamppotAndGravy
I worked with an Agnieszka who would have preferred Aga, but that just doesn't really work in an international English environment

I don't understand what you mean here? I've known several Agnieszkas who went by Aga, why didn't it work?

Same here, that’s why I was confused with Woody being inappropriate!!

Eh? I know five women called Aga and it’s never been an issue, I can’t think why it would be?!

I completely disagree, you can choose to be called just about anything you want as long as it's reasonable and not Titty MacBoatface.

@Fagliand @GrannyAchingsShepherdsHutthat's good to hear! It was 20 years ago and not in the UK.

I think the nickname is fine, but one thing I REALLY regret is not getting IT to put my email in my nickname from the get-go, or at least an alias. I always use the diminutive, but people keep butchering my real name because that's what's in my email.

There’s a Woody at my work and no one bats an eyelid. Professional international office. There was also a Pinky, and plenty of v international names that I wouldn’t know if just in the UK. Some of the v American names were pretty surprising to me when I first heard them! So really nobody minds at all. Sometimes the email address matches the nickname, and sometimes not. Often it’s set up so the actual email address might be e.g. [email protected], but when you type it, the nickname version pops up eg
Kit Brown <[email protected]>

It's up to the person in question don't you think?

I worked in an Arabic-speaking country with a lovely lady called Pakinam. Her diminutive was the first 4 letters. None of the Brits in the team ever shortened her name.

Is it Gosha?

There are lots of nicknames in my work, especially my department. We give other people nicknames too. No one would bat an eyelid at Elizabeth Bennett being called Benno.

I know a woman whose surname was hooker. She decided to change to “hook” when she started teaching in a local comp.
On the first day she strode into the classroom and said “my name is Mrs Hook” and some kid turned around quick as a flash and said “can we call you captain?” 😃

I knew someone who insisted on being called his chosen nickname - it wasn’t this but it was very similar - think “Snake”. Really unprofessional and their clients complained about being asked to use it. When the employer suggested he use his real name for clients and his nickname in the office only, he sued for disability discrimination based on it being a failure to make reasonable adjustments for his autism. A genuine moment where I thought the world had gone mad 😅