It should be very important for each of us to establish a good relationship with the people we spend a lot of time with at work every day. Of course, in many cases it is not easy. For example, how to behave at work towards a boss who is a good friend of ours in private life? What to do when the boss we have just met starts calling us "you" without any questions? When is the moment when you can get off this more official rate at all and instead of using the term "you" start talking to yourself by name?

Such matters are much more important than they might seem at first glance. Most of us think that this is all about showing respect for the other person, and it all depends on who we only have official relations with and who is more friendly and informal. In reality, however, the matter is much deeper. Many employees point out, for example, that in most companies, bosses are able to switch to name-calling practically instantly. However, if an employee reciprocates this behavior, it is treated as a lack of contact and good manners. It is difficult to understand such inequality - for some people it can be very disturbing and treated as a kind of insult in itself. In the opinion of many people, speaking to someone by name does not necessarily mean disrespect at once, so you can afford to behave like that in relation to your management as well.

However, it turns out that the principles of good manners commonly accepted in the business environment tell us something completely different. They show that such behaviour is inappropriate and we should not allow ourselves to do so. The assumption is very simple here. It is the boss who is higher up in the general hierarchy of the company, so it is up to him to decide when you can afford to leave the official rate and move on to a more free tone of communication. However, this should be done after a clear proposal on his part, and employees should not do so without such a signal. At the same time, it is accepted that the boss himself should start calling the employee by his name, even using his diminutive. This does not mean that an employee can do the same. Of course, there is nothing to prevent the boss from also using the term "you" in relation to his subordinates. It even proves his high personal culture and good upbringing. However, there is no obligation to do so.

Many people consider obeying such rules as a kind of limiting their dignity, but the reality is exactly the opposite - these manners were created so that both sides could show as much respect as possible in their everyday communication. Of course, such respect must come from both sides. Unfortunately, very often there are people occupying slightly higher positions who simply forget about it. This behaviour can be particularly flagrant when there is an older person in a lower position. Then calling the employee by his name is in fact a lack of personal culture and just a poor upbringing. It might seem that once we switch to "you" with someone, this change remains forever.

However, the reality and rules of business etiquette are much more complicated. For example, if someone, with whom we previously had a less formal relationship, rapidly advances from an ordinary colleague to a superior, it may be necessary to return to calling this person "sir". However, there are often doubts as to whether demanding such a change from one's friends is really a good upbringing. Very often, unfortunately, there are ordinary complexes of some people who, thanks to promotion, become simply conceited and begin to require that everyone around them start to show them much more respect than before. In any case, there is also a misunderstanding of respect itself, as we have already said.

Talking to someone as "you" does not mean disrespect for them or for the position they hold. We show respect for the other person primarily through our behaviour and how we treat someone. Within certain limits of good taste, the way we address someone is therefore of little importance here. Of course, breaking a business etiquette or simply breaking personal culture is not just the domain of superiors - employees themselves are often not perfect either. They are often guided, for example, by the conviction that age in advance entitles them to forget any rules. Older people can address younger colleagues - even at a higher level - by name or in a less cultured way - without asking them. As you can see, everything depends solely on who we are in contact with in our work. If two well-behaved people meet here, finding the right form of courtesy in everyday communication will never be a problem. However, if one of the parties stubbornly does not want to respect any manners and is simply badly educated, such seemingly trivial issues can sometimes lead to serious conflicts.