Are titles in a professional setting a thing of the past?

Hailtothethief

I

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122703021#Comment_122703021

I was the other person without one!

StormForce13

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122702523#Comment_122702523

So what would you like to see her calling herself if she appeared on Simply Come Dancing? 😀

(For me, the dream couple would be Doctor Helen Czerski and Jim Al Khalli! The ridiculous dancing with the sublime)

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122778998#Comment_122778998

ProProbably introduce her as Dr. as that's the reason she's a tv presenter hence a kind of celebrity, and then go by Helen.

What would you think should happen?

StormForce13

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122779417#Comment_122779417

I think that she should meet me for dinner and see what ensues. And, if she asked me very nicely, I'd consider showing her my MA.

ottolwinner

I can my Doctor Doctor because I can’t pronounce his name.
Often call people mr or mrs, and their surname if I knew them and they knew me as a child. I think it’s just engrained in me from childhood to be respectful in that way to elders.

The doctors at the practice I go to (and have done all my life) are all totally fine with first names, including Mick instead of Michael, but I still use Doctor first name. I guess because they worked super hard to get there. It's not a "respect your elders" thing. Two are a bit younger than I am. But they're also extremely lovely, respectful people.

Consultants tend to be formal so I'd go along with that (although younger ones are better craic). Judges too. Priests - my uncle is very informal but people still call him Father Jim, even young people do; nuns. Old people sometimes when I don't know them, like customers at work.

Can't think of any other context. At college you'd say "Prof" for the real long in the tooth lads, but otherwise it was first name.

But yeah it seems I do address people by titles. It comes up rarely though.

Donald Trump

Mr. President to you plebs

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122699316#Comment_122699316

I call my doctor "sugartits".

He doesn't seem to mind too much. Usually just ups my dosage.

gormdubhgorm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058373427/are-titles-in-a-professional-setting-a-thing-of-the-past

A top tier Surgeon with no airs and graces, is affectionally known by his staff/team as "The Prof". But he is the type of fella who likes to be addressed by his first name by patients etc.

However older generations of people have different attitudes. For example years previously an older physio who had dealings with the surgeon quickly corrected me, when I referred to him by using his first name. She quickly corrected me and said his title and surname. As it was take by her as a mark of disrespect towards him.

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122788722#Comment_122788722

I saw my grandmother refer to her peers as Mr and Mrs. But nobody ever told me to do it. It would be unusual for me to call an older person by that title. I presume that one is dying out with the older generations.

It would be like the way the Americans call each other sir. But that makes some sense for them because they're a militaristic society. Americans have that stuff so twisted that they can say 'thank you' and mean 'fcuk you'.

To me respect isn't shown through titles earned through age. It's shown in behaviour. I'm not anyone's inferior because they're older than me. That might work between siblings under 10, but it's ridiculous for adults.

dulpit

I asked my mother the other day has anyone called her Mrs. She's 74, she doesn't ever recall it. Whereas her parents generation everyone was Mr or Mrs.

She doesn't feel any less respected though, it's just different.

One eyed Jack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122789619#Comment_122789619

You’re after making me laugh there El D, not in a bad way but I just remembered the time when a few of my son’s friends were hanging out here and one of them addressed me by my first name asking me for something. Immediately I did think alright “who does this jumped up little fcuk think he is?”, but reminded him “That’s Mr. … to you!” I don’t think he understood as it probably wasn’t something he’d heard before 😂

Nobody ever told me to do it either, it was just something I learned, to refer to men and women as either Sir / Ma’am, Mr., Miss or Mrs. Still refer to my wife’s parents as Mr. and Mrs., and my wife told me I could refer to them by their first names; tried it, made a good effort to do it, but it always came off exactly like that - trying too hard, or insincere from my point of view. I’m fairly certain her parents didn’t give a toss either way.

On the Sir thing being American though, that makes sense from an American perspective, or at least Southern states anyway, not sure it’s motivated by that same military sentiment elsewhere though, it’s used in the sense of signifying respect for authority, which older people generally tend to be in positions of authority. I was often called “Young Sir” by older people, to me it was just a formality, or the done thing. I do get where you’re coming from with the siblings under 10 thing though - lot of the Indian lads I work with when they started used call me “Sir”, African lad used call me “Boss”, but I’m never sure about him because apart from being an awful messer, he’s in Ireland long enough to know who uses “Boss” more often than it’s heard anywhere else 🤔

Strumms

I call my GP.. doctor Kevin… Hospital consultant.. I’ve never had a consultation with the same consultant twice, so I’ve no relationship with any, it’s a revolving door in the department…, and you get quickly introduced and just say hi and chat for im guessing about 10 minutes without their name sinking in.

Dentist.. I just use his first name always . Always have, his staff do also. It’s nicely informal there …he’s a young guy about 47…. And the ambience whilst clinical & professional, is still informal….
I worked since the mid / late ‘90’s and never referred to anyone as Mr / Mrs / Ms. Was a thing way back in the day as my mother was a legal secretary and any lawyer or solicitor was ‘Mr.’

miamee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122789691#Comment_122789691

I was going to post similar, my mother is in her early 70s and I've never heard anyone call her Mrs LastName. She would have called all of her neighbours of her mother's generation by Mrs Whoever. Any of my friend's grandparents I would probably refer to as Mrs or Mr but that doesn't happen too often. I call one friends dad Mr Lastname, not sure why really. Maybe cos he is an older gentleman who has been in the army, has a certain gravitas about him.

paulpd

Myself and the OH were at a rugby match lately. She bumped into one of the consultants and he addressed her as Sister?!? I nearly spat out my beer. Some are just old school. (She's a manager in a hospital). Although she addresses most of the surgeons as "Mr or Ms". Only one does she address by first name due to her insisting on not being called Mrs or Doctor.

ronjo

I work in central Europe and I remember a few years ago there was some meeting and for some reason a sheet of paper went around and everyone filled out their names as attending.

Every single person included their titles….. This was working in a bank.

COVID

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122702472#Comment_122702472

You're welcome.

DayInTheBog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122699371#Comment_122699371

Hes a medical doctor. It's his qualification. What he does for a job. No one calls me by my qualifications or job title.im called by my name.

As for father..I've one Father and it's not the guy with a collar.

Larbre34

Nothing wrong with titles. For the most part people have worked bloody hard to earn them. And they show a level of seniority and expertise in their field.

If you meet a Colonel, or a Professor or a medical Doctor, you have a fair idea immediately what you're dealing with.

But not Ph.Ds. Any eejit can get a Ph.D. You can get one in english literature or philosophy and work in business or law or whatever and yet give yourself the title 'Dr' even if it might have less than zilch to do with your daily work.

To my mind, Ph.Ds should have to put in at least 10 years of work or published research in the field of their Ph.D, post-doctorally, before they are permitted to use the moniker Doctor.

Dr Turk Turkelton

In Sacred Heart Hospital there is one particular janitor who just refers to me as black doctor.

To be fair though I'm not really sure of his name- he's a bit mad.

taxAHcruel

Because of something I teach I have to actively STOP people calling me "professor". I am not sure how many "protected terms" even exist any more. Except maybe "admiral"?

dxhound2005

Medical practictioners stole the title of Doctor from Teachers which was the original definition. Probably because the medical types were called Leech originally. With the way language evolves as well as attitudes, it is not advisable to get too precious about such titles. Disrespectful people will probably call the professionals Doc, Prof, and so on anyway.

rowantree18

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123137693#Comment_123137693

Yep, I worked in a small central European country and they are absolutely anal about titles. For example a person with a masters degree would commonly give their name as "Master Brigid Murphy " and include all relevant letters at the end, and at meetings we'd have to refer to that person as Master Murphy, ditto for phds, you couldn't say "Brigid", there was a title "docent" which is like "assistant professor" - we'd have to say Docent Kelly when talking to the person etc. It was comical, but it was absolutely the etiquette. People with a bachelors always signed themselves as "Uni. Dipl" meaning they've been to university. You never referred to these people by name. I came home and was working with people with 20 letters after their name and calling them "Sean".......

Tull Considine

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123147634#Comment_123147634

Are you sure ?

Capt'n Midnight

There was a major character in Catch22 who's rank and name were Major. Major Major Major Major.

Well maybe not that major a character.

cj maxx

I think all 3 neurologists I've had introduced themselves by their first name .