It’s Tshepo, not Chepo! – Why it’s important to pronounce your colleagues’ names correctly

Pronouncing your colleagues’ names correctly is important and must not underestimated when it comes to the benefits for diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Pronouncing someone’s name correctly can make a big difference to office interactions.

Is your name frequently mispronounced at work? Or do you sometimes struggle to pronounce colleagues’ names and are too embarrassed to ask for the correct pronunciation? Most people will answer yes.

Why does it matter if you cannot pronounce a long and difficult name? Because it can make your colleague feel more supported, create a more inclusive corporate culture, and even help secure sales if you use the correct pronunciation, Damian Hamp-Adams, CEO of Rocketseed, explains.

He admits that correct name pronunciation can be challenging, but says it is especially important in the workplace, both as a key part of individual employee identity and to help employers increase inclusivity.

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Names are key to who we are and part of our personal identity

Jane Bryan from the University of Warwick’s Say My Name Project, says our names are entwined with our personal identities, often chosen with care and laden with meaning that spans all kinds of personal, cultural and symbolic associations as well as reflecting our family, ethnicity and heritage.

Mo Kanjilal, co-creator at Watch This Sp_ce, says although names are so pivotal to people’s identity, so many people find that the majority cannot be bothered to try and say names that are different in any way.

“I struggled with this my whole life. My full name is Mousumi, (pronounced Mow-shoo=me). At school teachers refused to try and say it – so I used Mo. When I started working, I found that a career in sales meant spelling my name all day to people as they could not be bothered to try and say my surname either, which is pronounced exactly as it is written.”

She says shortening people’s names for them, mispronouncing them or refusing to say a name are all forms of micro-aggressions which can cause people distress, frustration and irritation.

“It can damage a person’s sense of identity and completely alter the meaning of a name.”

Many people add the phonetic spelling of their name in email signatures and platforms like LinkedIn have a function to record how to say your name. Kanjilal says we must always encourage people to try and say people’s names or ask people how to say their name instead of shortening it for them. Correct name pronunciation shows respect

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Correct pronunciation of colleagues’ names encourages inclusion

Darko Atijas, CEO of True Altitude, says as names are often linked to ethnicity and culture, their correct pronunciation, or asking for the correct pronunciation, is an act of acceptance and can open opportunities to discuss name heritage and promote inclusivity.

“As a professional with a non-anglicised name when meeting with new contacts my name inevitably leads to conversation. I have never taken offense about my first name and I find it endearing if anyone correctly rolls the ‘r’.”

As a child, he refused to anglicise his name and he thinks it was a wise decision, as it has inevitably been a talking point and made people remember him.

“Regarding my last name Atijas, unfortunately the ‘j’ remains an ongoing challenge for all non-phonetic language speakers. I may very well remove it in future, and simply keep Atias. If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me if Darko was my real name, I would be a wealthy man.”

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Mispronunciation can cause embarrassment, alienation and offence

Name pronunciation is also important because mispronouncing or misusing names can have the reverse effect, undermining personal identity, disrespecting the individual, leading to feelings of alienation and causing more harm than many realise.

A recent Race Equality Matters poll indicated that 73% of respondents from more than 100 organisations said their names were mispronounced and it made them feel ‘not valued or important’, ‘disrespected’ and ‘that they didn’t belong’. In addition, 88% thought a phonetic name spelling campaign would help tackle race inequality.

Correct pronunciation of colleagues’ names shows respect

Muna Abdo, HR business partner, whose first name is pronounced ‘Munner’, says if someone takes the time and make the effort to pronounce your name correctly, or even asks how you prefer to be addressed, is a simple sign of respect to you, your race and ethnicity.

Joseph Aninakwa, inclusion and diversity consultant at Inclusive Employers, defines name pronunciation as simply being able to pronounce a someone’s first and last name as they would prefer it to be pronounced in its original intended form, without deviating or shortening for ease.

He says correct name pronunciation in the workplace, with the often complex relationships between colleagues, customers and other business contacts, can:

• Create a more relaxed working environment as correct name pronunciation engenders mutual respect and reduces annoyance for everyone.
• Create an inclusive and relaxed workplace as research shows that name mispronunciation can lead to alienation, while saying names correctly increases people’s sense of belonging in an organisation.
• Help recruit and retain staff as correct name pronunciation can get working relationships off to the right start and show staff they are valued from job interviews to performance reviews.
• Improve customer interaction when you have a culture of correct name pronunciation as it shows customers, suppliers and other business contacts respect and goodwill.
• Boost brand image and commercial performance with businesses increasingly looking to deal with, buy from and invest in inclusive companies. Correct name pronunciation can have a positive impact on your brand and business performance.
• Demonstrate diversity and inclusivity compliance.

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How to promote correct pronunciation of colleagues’ names

Employers can promote name pronunciation organisation-wide by championing it from the top, making it an HR priority, including it in training, using internal marketing to promote it, adding it to social profiles and including it in email signatures, Hamp-Adams says.

“Technology platforms, such as social media, messaging services and email signatures can help because they contain the functionality to add phonetic spelling and audio pronunciation of names.”

Adding name pronunciation to email signatures is an easy, effective way to promote correct name pronunciation amongst colleagues, customers and contacts, especially when you consider that email is the most used business communication channel, he says.

Rocketseed created a guide on the importance of getting name pronunciation correct in the workplace, full of practical tips to promote correct name pronunciation amongst colleagues and achieve the benefits of an inclusive work environment. It also includes a handy guide on how to spell your name phonetically and add your name pronunciation to your email signature.