If I had a dollar for every time someone accidentally called me “Kendra,” I would be sipping martinis in the Bahamas right now. Sure, it can be a little annoying from time to time, but generally I don’t let it get to me. Apparently Elizabeth Becton, who handles scheduling for Congressman Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), takes a slip up with her name much more seriously than most people in workplace communication exchanges.
In fact, the McDermott staffer’s persnickety aversion to nicknames was widely reported this week after a Politico reporter got her hands on a bizarre e-mail conversation that Becton had with an employee from McBee Strategic. It all started innocently enough when the assistant e-mailed Becton to request a meeting with McDermott. When the employee followed up on the request and accidentally called her “Liz,” the conversation soon devolved into Becton saying:
If I wanted you to call me by any other name, I would have offered that to you. I think it's rude when people don't even ask permission and take all sorts of liberties with your name. This is a real sore spot with me. My name has a lot of "nicknames" which I don't use. I use either my first name or my last name because I row with a lot of other women who share the same first name. Now, please do not ever call me by a nickname again.
Although the McBee Strategic employee apologized to her a number of times, Becton admonished further with:
Quit apologizing and never call me anything but Elizabeth again. Also, make sure you correct anyone who attempts to call me by any other name but Elizabeth. Are we clear on this? Like I said, it's a hot button for me.
The entire conversation makes for a good laugh, but I’m sure Becton is kicking herself for being too quick on the trigger instead of taking advantage of the delayed nature of e-mail. In addition to being written about all over the world, MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann featured her in his “WTF?!?” segment and a “Don't Call Me Liz!!!!” Facebook group has sprung up.
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So, the moral of the story is that unlike face-to-face communication—where you may hastily blurt something out and need to do damage control later—when e-mailing others, we should embrace the fact that it is a written medium. Although it can be an immediate medium—depending on how quickly the recipient checks e-mail—there’s still a huge safety net built in. Always be sure to read your e-mails with the question “would I want this to be seen all over the Internet?” in mind.
More Workplace Communication:
Characteristics of e-mail communication
The importance of nonverbal communication during job interviews
Nonverbal behaviors during interviews
More interviewing tips
Bosses afraid to communicate
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