Google calls its employees “Googlers,” and Indeed says “Indeedians.” Workers at HR software company BambooHR are “Bambooligans,” while talent experience platform company Cornerstone employs “Cornerstars.”
But why? Some companies give their employees nicknames as a way to foster belonging since 75% of employees have felt excluded in their workplace, according to a 2023 EY report.
“I have an allergy to calling people ‘employees’. I just think it’s very industrial age,” said Anita Grantham, BambooHR’s head of HR. “You want to pick a term that is more inclusive, and has people feel like they’re a part of something bigger.”
While giving employees a nickname may seem like an easy way to foster inclusion, choosing a nickname that will contribute to a company’s culture is anything but simple. Shawntà Hooks, a keynote speaker, and belonging and mindfulness expert, shared with HR Brew what people pros should consider when choosing an employee nickname—and what to do if it doesn’t resonate with everyone.
Nicknames are an extension of company culture. Hooks recalled interviewing for a job and learning that the company used a nickname for its employees. The company’s mission emphasized collaboration and teamwork, which she felt with each use of the nickname, fostering “a sense of pride [and] inclusion.”
“The nickname they chose was a reflection of their goals, which at that time, was to create a team environment, so I think that it’s important for employees to understand that the nickname is a representation of the effort,” Hooks said.
If a company doesn’t have a clear, cohesive culture, a nickname isn’t going to help, she said. HR first needs to invest in learning and development focused on cultural awareness and increase connection between employees before adding a nickname to their strategy.
Quick-to-read HR news & insights
From recruiting and retention to company culture and the latest in HR tech, HR Brew delivers up-to-date industry news and tips to help HR pros stay nimble in today’s fast-changing business environment.
Some employees may not resonate with a nickname. Globally, employees feel a need to suppress their identities, with 56% feeling like they can’t, or are hesitant, to share their identity at work out of fear that doing so will negatively impact their career, the EY report found. For LGBTQ+ workers, that number is 77%.
Hooks said a nickname might further dampen authenticity.
“Not to say that you can’t use these nicknames, but certainly be aware that folks from diverse communities and populations may see that as an attack on an already suppressed identity,” Hooks said. “This is another way that I have to show up as someone other than myself, as opposed to just being who I am, and that being enough.”
Whether or not employers nickname their employees, Hooks said it’s critical that HR foster candid conversations around company culture. Strategizing around culture can make leaders feel like “you never get it perfectly right,” she said, so be mindful that it’s a nuanced topic with solutions that may work for some and not others.
“This is the value of having people in charge of diversity, inclusion efforts, belonging efforts, really getting the pulse from the organization, getting the pulse from the people, in terms of how they connect,” she said.