Formality with Colleagues
Author: Darya Saleh Ismael, University of Kurdistan – Hewler, Kurdistan Region of Iraq
Review/editing: Aaron Rotsinger, University of St Andrews
Situation: Leyla is a beautiful young teacher from Iraq. She teaches at one of the local universities in her country. She did her graduate study in the UK and worked there for a few years, so is very comfortable with all kinds of people, but she prefers to have formal relationships with people at work. One day, a young gentleman named Azad, who was also a local, joined the university. He normally seemed very formal, often greeting his colleagues with a short expression like “Hello madam.” However, whenever he passed by Layla, his face would lighten up, and he would say “hello, my dear,” with a smile on his face. Layla was uncomfortable with this, and she would give one-word responses like “thanks”, showing she was avoiding him.
Question: Why did Azad’s greetings make Leyla uncomfortable?
Leyla may not be interested in sharing the same level of familiarity with Azad.
Azad treated her differently.
Leyla thought that Azad was less cultured than her.
Leyla’s views on professional behaviour have changed based on her experience abroad.
How important are our expressions when we first approach someone?
What does it mean when someone gives very short answers in a conversation?
What forms of address are accepted in formal settings?
Do you think there should be instructions regarding language use in workplace?