Names are a big deal. I can guarantee with near 100% certainty that all parents spend a lot of time thinking about their child's moniker. I love nicknames. I've had many over my lifetime - peanut, Chris Jr (I'm named after my Aunt), little Chris, Chris, Chrissy, etc. In college, there were a few Christines in my sorority so I was called by my last name, which was a-okay with me. Most of the time nicknames are given by family or close friends, so it can be awkward and borderline inappropriate when others give them to you.
One of my most gigantic pet peeves is when random acquaintances, practically strangers, give you a nickname. I've recently been noticing a preponderance of random nicknames around the office. I've been called "Chris" quite a few times by some newfound colleagues. And mind you, these aren't the colleagues that hit happy hour with me, so we're not exactly buddy buddy. It's a little weird and I feel like I should correct the issue, but don't want to create trouble and am not sure it's really that big a deal. The funny thing is that I always sign emails with my full first name or my initials at the office, so I would hope that's correction enough. A few of my coworkers call me by my initials, but this is a close bunch and it's something that I've put out there. But for those who have shortened my name to a single syllable, it's a little odd and somewhat inappropriate.
So to my friends in the ether, do me this favor and stop giving random coworkers nicknames. It's weird and uncomfortable. If you want to shorten someone's name, it may not be a big deal, but get their blessing before you accidentally create an awkward situation.
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