Everyone who has worked with the public in some capacity (which includes pretty much everyone who has ever worked) has a horror story of a customer who tried to get too close. Whether it’s a humorous or flattering flirtation story or a disturbing, harrowing intrusive one, there is a line between worker and customer that should not be crossed.
There are, of course, exceptions; if both people choose to date, or to become friends outside of the place where they are limited to serving/servee roles. These stories seem to multiply for women, especially young women, as flirtations can range from harmless to frightening.
My own experiences have made me decide not to wear my name tag at my workplace. While I understand the need to offer a reliable identity to those I serve and attend to, I don’t see the need to offer my full name and thus expose myself to possible unsafe situations.
Previous workplaces had my first name displayed, and possibly my last initial. I saw no harm in this at all – it showed customers my name and kept my identity private. I have never been a supervisor, so there was never really a need to display my full name to the public. Also, I was usually the only woman at my work who had my first name (as I am now), and if not, the other woman with the same name had a different physical description, so once the customer started to describe one of us, it was easy to find out who he/she was talking about.
I’ve worked in places in which older men invited me to hotel rooms, asked for my last name so they could look up my address and phone number, asked where I lived and who I lived with, which car in the parking lot was mine, watch me at the local gym and follow me once they recognized me, and so on. I’ve worked with women who had men wait outside for them, follow them home, find out their phone numbers and called them anonymously, and similar other frightening situations. The reality is that in this digital age, all someone needs is a name and they can find out that person’s address, phone number, school, and who knows what else.
Since my name is unusual, and my phone number is listed, I could be setting myself up for dangerous situations, simply because my workplace doesn’t see the need to give out name tags with the first name only. I know someone could make the argument that if I want privacy, I should keep my number unlisted, but I shouldn’t have to take such precautions because of my workplace’s ignorance (or indifference) of this situation. Also, an unlisted phone number doesn’t deter someone from visiting sites that have public files that showcase someone’s address or birthdate.
I do wear a badge that encourages people to ask for my help when I’m out on the floor at my job, and I happily offer my first name to anyone who asks for it. I have no problem with helping customers (even the difficult ones), but if they ask for my last name, they won’t get it. The truth is, they don’t need it, and I’ve had enough bad experiences with customers not respecting my personal boundaries to know when to draw the line. If my job offers name tags with first names with or without a last initial, I’ll be happy to wear it, but in the meantime, I will not wear a tag bearing my full name. If this somehow detracts from my history of good customer service, so be it.
