Michelle is speaking to management. Michelle is following up with a manager.

Case Study Three

Reasonable Requests

When Michelle reported to work today she asked management to inform the team that from now on she’d liked to be called Michelle instead of Monte.

She goes on to explain that her name tag should be changed and the team should use feminine pronouns when communicating with her.

Are these requests reasonable?

The correct answer IS YES

In this instance the employee’s request is reasonable and within the employer’s control. Management should work with Michelle and Human Resources to best determine how this request should be communicated to the team. However, legally mandated information such as Internal Revenue Service documentation or reports to governmental agencies must use the employee’s legal name and gender as it appears on their official identification documents.