Navigating Office Culture: How Should We Address a Senior Female Colleague?

I am working in a small local firm. I have heard that in corporate culture, it is preferred to call peers by name irrespective of age or gender.

Recently, a female (around 30 years old) joined as a coordinator. She is facing a name-calling problem as no one in the organization has a broader outlook. She is close to me, and I call her by name as she prefers. However, most other people her age and younger ones call her "Didi," which annoys her. Despite her request for everyone to call her by name, they do not understand the broader outlook and smirk at her desire to lower her age, etc.

Question on Addressing Colleagues

What should this female coordinator be called in the office? The salespeople have to report their daily details to her, but she is not their supervisor. She is 5-10 years older than the sales personnel reporting to her. They prefer to call her "Didi," but it does not sound good to her. She is a broad-minded lady and even prefers them to call her by name, even if they are 10 years younger. Is it possible to call her by name, or is there another option?

Please shed some light on what is generally followed in your organization.

Regards

The newly joined coordinator prefers to be called by her first name, unlike the others who report to her and call her "Didi" as a mark of respect. However, "Didi" does not align well with corporate culture since it signifies a family culture.

In the office, we need to maintain a professional relationship. Given this context, you have two options. One is to allow the juniors to address her by her first name. However, she must still be respected, and her respect should not be undermined in any way. Allowing her to be addressed by her first name carries the risk that juniors could misinterpret it as a lack of seniority or authority.

The next option, which a conservative company like yours may prefer, is to address her as "____ Madam." The blank that I have left open could be either her first name or surname. This approach will create a certain mental distance between the juniors and her, which is deemed necessary in conservative companies. Convince the senior lady of the importance of maintaining this mental distance.

In multinational companies, even the CEO or MD is typically addressed by their first name. However, the staff is mature enough to understand that using first names does not diminish their position in any way. Does your organization possess that level of maturity? If it does not, then transitioning to modern practices too quickly could pose a risk.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Thank you so much, sir, for your valuable input.

Here, the main problem is about the mentality of the people. Most of them think that a person of the same age can only be called by simply the FIRST NAME. And they will not accept the 2nd option, as they have an ego problem.

As mentioned by you, calling "Didi" brings FAMILY CULTURE, which is really awkward. We will try to use the 1st option. Let us try...

Thank you again.