In our HR system, accounts are created using legal names, which also make up their email addresses. We frequently get requests from employees wanting to change their email to reflect the names they actually go by—be it a middle name or a nickname, like Chuck for Charles. While I think this change seems harmless, I'm hesitant to start making these changes without understanding the potential impacts. If we change names for a few individuals, it's likely to become a widespread request, and I want to avoid causing any unforeseen problems down the line. Is changing display names generally acceptable, or is it considered bad practice?
5 Answers
In my experience, it's best to formalize how name changes are managed. Allow employees to provide their preferred display names during onboarding; any changes later should ideally go through HR. This way, you reduce confusion and maintain consistent naming conventions.
You should definitely consider letting people use the names they prefer. As long as the original name is kept as an alias, it should work fine. Just make sure that if you change emails, there's a solid process in place to avoid any hiccups with apps relying on the original email addresses.
Changing display names is generally fine, but be careful with email addresses as IDs since that can lead to problems in systems that use them for identification. I recommend going through HR for any changes—this helps keep everything standardized and compliant.
At our workplace, we allow employees to choose their preferred names in our HR system, which then updates their display names automatically. I'm a fan of this approach because it avoids the hassle of manual name changes later on. It keeps everything neat and organized without causing confusion for IT.
From my experience, there's really no technical reason to avoid changing display names. I've handled similar transitions, especially when people change their names after marriage. However, it’s worth checking your company's policies around this; they could have specific guidelines on display names that you need to follow.
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