William Shakespeare once said, “What’s in a name?” However, in today’s age and world, everything is in a name, as it’s your identity, it’s who you are, and where you come from. What dear old Willy didn’t know is that names can also evoke racism!
That’s exactly what happened with this Indian guy, who is working for an American company in the US. One fine day, he was absolutely stumped when his boss asked him to change his ethnic name so that their client would take to him. Here’s what he did next…
More info: Reddit
Despite the world progressing so much, something regressive like racism is still prominent
Image credits: The Yuri Arcurs Collection / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The poster is an Indian man who has been in the US for over 10 years, but something shocking happened at his new workplace
Image credits: ThrowRAEthnicname
Image credits: katemangostar / Freepik (not the actual photo)
His manager asked him to change his ethnic name to make it sound more American, just till he gained the client's confidence
Image credits: ThrowRAEthnicname
Image credits: Frolopiaton Palm / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Although he was caught off guard by this request, he found it completely ridiculous and just refused to do it
Image credits: ThrowRAEthnicname
However, when he told a friend about it, the guy told him that this was a mistake and he should change his name rather than jeopardize his career
Today, a Reddit user tells us about a racist encounter that he had at his workplace, which left netizens quite enraged. The thing is, OP is an Indian guy who has been living in America for over 10 years. While he has worked for 2 big companies before, his recent company is a small start-up, and he thinks that it’s a good opportunity.
He works in consumer insights/brand strategy, and after joining, he was given a client to kickstart his work. However, his manager came up with a strange demand that he should change his ethnic name to a generic American one. Of course, he was confused, so he asked the manager for the reason.
Apparently, the guy who worked there before him also had an ethnic name, and that had “put off the client.” His boss further elaborated that it was only until he gained the client’s confidence. Sounds completely ridiculous, right? That’s what even the poster felt, and he straight out refused to change his name.
In the end, he’ll be the one who will look bad if he later reveals his real name to the client, right? Well, his boss was taken aback and asked him to be careful not to anger the client. However, one of his friends, who is also Indian, said that this was self-sabotage, and OP should’ve just done what his manager asked him to.
Image credits: Drazen Zigic / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Probably feeling torn about the whole thing, he vented online, and netizens instantly sided with him, not his friend. Sadly, racism still exists in the US, and folks pointed out that this was a case of blatant discrimination. Many of them applauded him for standing up to his manager and said that no one should have to change who they are for a client.
Sadly, though, it’s a problem that is quite prominent in the workplace, as many people have to face it. In fact, it starts right during the hiring process, as 50% of people are more likely to call back an applicant with stereotypical white names like Emily or Greg versus applicants with names like Jamal or Lakisha.
That’s quite a high statistic, considering that racism in the workplace is illegal in the US. In fact, the primary federal laws that address race discrimination in the workplace fall under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The boss could’ve easily reminded the client of this, but instead, he asked OP to change his name, which netizens found quite fishy.
They wondered whether he’s the real culprit or just pinning it on the client. Although people said that his friend was wrong, a few also pointed out that the company can play dirty with him. Considering the fact that 63% of workers who filed a workplace discrimination complaint lost their jobs, we can understand why his friend was concerned about OP.
What do you think? Did he do the right thing or not? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Folks online said that this was blatant racism, and many wondered whether it was just the boss who had a problem or the client
