A viral video from the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Graduate Management Programme has sparked a debate about respect, workplace culture and the growing practice of addressing senior colleagues by their first names.
In the video, one of the management trainees stood up to ask a question and addressed Tony Elumelu by his first name. She was immediately corrected.
The moment quickly drew reactions online, with many people coming to the trainee’s defence. They argued that in many modern corporate environments, it is perfectly acceptable to address colleagues and even senior executives by their first names. Some said the practice helps create a more relaxed and less intimidating workplace, while the use of titles such as “Mr.” and “Mrs.” can sometimes create unnecessary barriers between employees.
Others, however, disagreed.
They argued that the trainee should have exercised better judgment given the person she was addressing. Tony Elumelu is not simply a senior colleague or an ordinary executive. He is a prominent Nigerian businessman and the former Chairman of UBA. For many people, addressing him as “Mr. Tony” or “Mr. Elumelu” would simply have been a matter of courtesy and respect.
What happened to our culture?
The debate raises a bigger question about how much our traditional culture of respect has changed.
Why has it become so common for young people to address people old enough to be their fathers, mothers, uncles or aunties by their first names simply because they work in the same organisation?
There is nothing wrong with creating a friendly and open workplace. In fact, reducing unnecessary barriers between employees can encourage communication and teamwork.
But does being colleagues mean that traditional forms of respect should completely disappear?
In many African societies, respect for elders has always been an important part of our culture. Age, experience and position often determine how we address people, whether at home, in public or at work.
Today, however, some of these traditions are gradually disappearing, influenced in part by Western workplace culture, where first-name communication is common.
The idea behind first-name culture may be to make workplaces more equal and reduce excessive power distance between employees and their bosses. But has it actually achieved that?
The big question
Has addressing everyone by their first name really improved the African workplace?
Does it promote equality and openness, or are we slowly losing an important part of our culture of respect?
Perhaps the real issue is not whether people should be addressed by their first names or titles. Maybe it is about understanding when, where and how each approach should be used.
Respect and professionalism should go hand in hand.
What do you think? Should young employees address older colleagues and executives by their first names simply because it is a corporate environment, or should African values of respect still guide how we address our elders at work?
Share your thoughts in the comment section.
0 COMMENTS
Leave a Reply