Are you aware that 60% of all employees in America have a nickname? You shouldn’t be aware of that statistic because we made that up. :-) It grabbed your attention, right?
Do you have nicknames for certain co-workers or customers? Surely, you’ve got one for your boss. Doesn’t it make you feel better that you’ve tagged a secret nickname on a co-worker that drives you crazy? There's nothing better than the feeling of empowerment that nobody can take away from you. Here are some best practices for using nicknames at work:
- Clones – People who look like others are "clones". Clones are the low hanging fruit of the nickname game. Let’s say your IT manager looks exactly like Bruce Springsteen. It's pretty straightforward—you'd call him "The Boss"!
- Trust - Only tell others the nickname if you can completely trust they’ll use discretion and not tell the wrong brown-noser about it.
- Redirects - Always redirect the source of the nickname and blame its creation on somebody else or as common knowledge around the office.
- Verbal - Don’t ever write a nickname down on paper or, worse, type it into digital communication like an email. Nicknames are for verbal use only.
- Acronyms - Use acronyms to ensure security levels. For instance, your boss is "Bloated Toad" and so you use "BT" to co-workers so you’ll never get caught. Just have an explanation for BT ready, "oh, that, it means Best Team worker". (Puke!)
- Know the stakes – If your nickname is really negative and the person attached to it has power in the organization, you could lose your job if caught. If, however, you nail an amazing nickname that sticks, you could become the office hero. Your goal is nailing a nickname that is so perfect the recipient has no choice but to accept it. Go for a nickname slam dunk!
- Do it right – Your mother always told you that "what’s worth doing is worth doing right". The nickname you create just might stick to that person for the rest of their life. Think this through before making an announcement to your trusted inner circle.
If you want your nicknames to be known for all to hear, follow in the footsteps of Sawyer, from the TV show LOST. He’s known for creating several nicknames for the other characters on the show and uses a nickname for himself. Some of the other characters attempt to use nicknames, but because of Sawyer’s delivery, it’s his nicknames that you’ll remember. He even has his own online nickname generator.
So go out and make up some nicknames; it’ll make your workdays just slightly more enjoyable. If you’re keeping the nickname a secret, just follow our rules above carefully and don’t say we told you do to any of this.
Need some nickname inspiration? Here are a couple nickname generators to get you started:
Bill Ross
Founder & CEO
Office Playground
Image courtesy of Alex Ruiz.
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