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Time: Can My New Company Make Me Change My Name?

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Tripon

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Q: Is it legal for my new company to make me change my name? I am starting a new job next week. Somehow another employee, who is a favorite of the regional manager, objects to my name, so I have been told I cannot use it.

My middle name is King and it is a name that has been in our family for years. I have been called King since the day I was born – 54 years ago – and have never had anyone even mention it, much less object to it.

This entry-level employee says it offends her religious beliefs. She has been at the company for several years but is still at entry-level, so how can she carry so much weight? What are my options? Is this even legal?

A: That’s ridiculous. It’s your name.

Legally, they can probably insist you use another name (at least I can’t think of a law it would violate), but it would be 100% crazy for them to do that. It’s your name. No reasonable person or employer would ask you to change your name, especially on grounds like these.

I would say this to your new employer: “I certainly don’t want to offend anyone, but this is my name, it’s what I’ve gone by my entire life, it’s how all my professional contacts know me, and it’s what’s on my birth certificate. It’s not possible for me to change it.”
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Weird story. Weirder that a company actually asked somebody to change their name. Also, I'm not sure how King can offend somebody religiously.

http://time.com/money/4054818/change-name-for-company/?xid=yahoo_money
 
Wait... it's this person's middle name. It wouldn't be okay if it was their first name or last name either but their MIDDLE name?? Come on...
 
He should say he's offended that she's offended, because she's discriminating based on name alone. Cancel it out.
 
ENM89 said:
Wait... it's this person's middle name. It wouldn't be okay if it was their first name or last name either but their MIDDLE name?? Come on...
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No. Fuck that person's religious beliefs. God I hate that excuse. Its a cover for so many shitty things.
 
ENM89 said:
Wait... it's this person's middle name. It wouldn't be okay if it was their first name or last name either but their MIDDLE name?? Come on...
Click to expand...

Not unusual in the US to use a middle name in leui of the first name. Hell, the FBI prefers people to use just their first name and no middle or just a first initial and full middle name.
 
Is the first name of this person Wan because that's really the only way I can say this other employee might not be crazy.
 
ENM89 said:
Wait... it's this person's middle name. It wouldn't be okay if it was their first name or last name either but their MIDDLE name?? Come on...
Click to expand...

Middle names frequently are offered as main names because

A. The person doesn't like their given name
B. The given name is a family tradition
D. Given name is difficult for westerners to pronounce
C. You can do what you fucking want with your own name provided it's on your birth certificate.


An employer has no legal grounds to force you to change your name, Workplace Discrimination laws are also fairly broad and sweeping. I'd wager they have some legal precedent here.
 
All I have to say to both the entry-level employee and company is:

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW

Really. This is what I said after reading it.
 
People who go by their middle name are universally pretentious twats.

That said, he's not being asked to legally change his name. He's being asked to go by his first name instead of his middle name. Still stupid, but less insane than it first implies.
 
King_Tekken_6.jpg
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Pictured - What I imagine this person looks like.
 
ScatheZombie said:
People who go by their middle name are universally pretentious twats.
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Seems extreme. I have co-worker whose given name is Richard, but goes by his middle name, Allan. He said it's just what his family has called him, since childhood. Hardly seems pretentious.
 
ScatheZombie said:
People who go by their middle name are universally pretentious twats.

That said, he's not being asked to legally change his name. He's being asked to go by his first name instead of his middle name. Still stupid, but less insane than it first implies.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that :P I have gone by my middle name since the day of my birth. I have the same first name as my father (it's a family name passed down) and I have always had problems with people INSISTING on using my first name, despite the fact that I don't. I just had a bad experience applying for a new job. The HR woman refused my cancelled check to add me to payroll because my check had only my middle name and last name on it and not my unused first name. She made me drive to the bank and add my first name to my account. Then she used whiteout on all the forms I signed and made me sign using the first name I don't use. Employers are weird.
 
Mega Man's Electric Sheep said:
I just had a bad experience applying for a new job. The HR woman refused my cancelled check to add me to payroll because my check had only my middle name and last name on it and not my unused first name. She made me drive to the bank and add my first name to my account. Then she used whiteout on all the forms I signed and made me sign using the first name I don't use. Employers are weird.
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See.
 
I feel like I'm missing something here. Is it really King, or did they change the name for the article? How would this offend someone's religion? I'm really struggling to figure it out.
 
nullref said:
Seems extreme. I have co-worker whose given name is Richard, but goes by his middle name, Allan. He said it's just what his family has called him, since childhood. Hardly seems pretentious.
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That story is bullshit, at some point in his early life he encountered Richard can be shortened to Dick. His family never decided one day just to use his middle name. Nice try Dick...
 
ENM89 said:
Wait... it's this person's middle name. It wouldn't be okay if it was their first name or last name either but their MIDDLE name?? Come on...
Click to expand...

It's not that uncommon to go by your middle name. My best friend has gone by her middle name all her life.
 
He should change his name to Kingg or whatever the entry level person's name is. Make the company pay for the name change.

Or counter complain that the entry level employee's name upsets his religous beliefs.
 
Mega Man's Electric Sheep said:
Thanks for that :P I have gone by my middle name since the day of my birth. I have the same first name as my father (it's a family name passed down) and I have always had problems with people INSISTING on using my first name, despite the fact that I don't. I just had a bad experience applying for a new job. The HR woman refused my cancelled check to add me to payroll because my check had only my middle name and last name on it and not my unused first name. She made me drive to the bank and add my first name to my account. Then she used whiteout on all the forms I signed and made me sign using the first name I don't use. Employers are weird.
Click to expand...

So why are you even telling people your first name at all then?
 
Growing up my family always called me Josh and it wasn't until my first day of kindergarten that I went by my real name, Joseph. The teacher wouldn't let me go by Josh because there were already two other kids with that name. First day of school and people are calling me by a name I've never been called before, shit I couldn't even SPELL Joseph at that time.
 
Seems pretty ludicrous. Here in Scotland we can legally go by any name we wish*, at any point, so long as our intentions for doing so are not criminal.
It's recommended that you officially record a change with a registrar, and anything like banks/bills, but it's not required.

Hell, if I wanted to from tomorrow onwards I could start going by "Grand-Bread Emperor Bagel Moonlord Dangerous Banana" and people would just have to deal with it.
So the notion that someone feels they can dictate how others should be named is ridiculous. Fuck em OP, tell em a King does as he pleases.


*excluding titles like lord/lady, Sir, etc.
 
I once had a coworker named Jesus and a super religious old lady coworker refused to call him that. She just referred to him as Jesse though and never made a big stink about it.
 
so many questions

- what religion is offended by king
- why is the dood going by his middle name
- is she offended by Michael Jackson and Elvis
 
ScatheZombie said:
People who go by their middle name are universally pretentious twats.

That said, he's not being asked to legally change his name. He's being asked to go by his first name instead of his middle name. Still stupid, but less insane than it first implies.
Click to expand...

Come to think of it... almost every last person I know that goes by their middle name is indeed a pretentious twat. Weird.
 
ScatheZombie said:
People who go by their middle name are universally pretentious twats.

That said, he's not being asked to legally change his name. He's being asked to go by his first name instead of his middle name. Still stupid, but less insane than it first implies.
Click to expand...

That is unfair, there are many people who go by their middle name because they have the same first name as their father/grandfather etc. I will generally call people by whatever name they want to be called by, within reasons
 
dreamcastmaster said:
So why are you even telling people your first name at all then?
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You have to provide identifying documents which will have your legal name on them at any job.

My employer also insists on using exactly what is on your SS card--we get lots of complaints for married women about that. Of course, if you're high enough up the chain nobody can say no to you.
 
DiabolicalBagel said:
Seems pretty ludicrous. Here in Scotland we can legally go by any name we wish*, at any point, so long as our intentions for doing so are not criminal.
It's recommended that you officially record a change with a registrar, and anything like banks/bills, but it's not required.

Hell, if I wanted to from tomorrow onwards I could start going by "Grand-Bread Emperor Bagel Moonlord Dangerous Banana" and people would just have to deal with it.
So the notion that someone feels they can dictate how others should be named is ridiculous. Fuck em OP, tell em a King does as he pleases.


*excluding titles like lord/lady, Sir, etc.
Click to expand...
Isn't King a title? You can be named King but not Lord?
 
ScatheZombie said:
People who go by their middle name are universally pretentious twats.

That said, he's not being asked to legally change his name. He's being asked to go by his first name instead of his middle name. Still stupid, but less insane than it first implies.
Click to expand...

Universally? So if a guy has the same first name as his father and his whole family calls him by his middle name since he is a baby, he's pretentious? Makes no sense.
 
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