In expansion on the topic of impressions of a name tag, many have been talking about whether or not it is important for those in service positions to identify themselves by wearing a name tag or name badge. Stefan Hiller, founder of Sky Touch; Global Hotel Security Consulting, has provided a security point of view on the topic.

“I think it is important that staff can clearly be distinguished from guests. While general staff in uniform is a big help, name tags completes identification and adds a personal touch,” Hiller states.

In Hiller’s article, titled No name tags; a forward or backward step?, he suggests that by not wearing a name tag in a service position lessens the quality of the customer/consumer experience. While his article is based in the hotel industry, many things that he discusses can also be looked at in any service position.

Name tags and name badges not only provide this personal touch, but they also provide that much needed personal identifier. By using personal identification, a hotel or any other retail establishment, gives a sense of security to not only the consumer, but also to the employee.

Hiller provides the following anecdote.

“Twenty years ago when I was an apprentice, I remember we were always told by the maître d’hôtel to wear our name tag for quality purposes. ‘Apprentice’ was written underneath my name. (While) we, the apprentices, gained our first experiences as service staff and were by no means fully trained yet, the name tag signaled that we were still a staff member in training, and in most cases guests had sympathy and excused little mistakes.

“From a marketing point of view, it reflected also that the hotel invested in young people, which certainly provided a positive image. Without the apprentice name tag, guests would not know if a staff member was still in training or not. Wearing our name tag protected us from high expectations of guests. Guests found it easier to use our name when having a conversation. It also helped us to identify ourselves with our new job.”

“Personally, I see no benefit in not using name tags,” states Hiller. “I have seen it produce unwanted guest frustration. Not using name tags lowers the quality of service and contributes to unwelcome risks.”

Name tags, name badges, lanyards and any other form of personal identification are much needed parts of any uniform. Make them part of yours today by visiting www.nametag.com.

Today, Miss Manners answered a question that runs rampant among workers who wear a name tag as part of a uniform. While this question isn’t always a comfortable one, it begs to be answered. Name tags are a great tool for personal identification. They have been used for many, many years in many, many circumstances. Retailers, restaurants, hotels and other consumer service providers continue to use them. The question posed, “Is it presumptuous to start a personal conversation with a person who is wearing a name tag?”

Miss Manners gave the following answer:

Miss Manners: A name tag doesn’t invite personal questions: Server’s name tag is not an invitation for friendship

By JUDITH MARTIN “Miss Manners” (Advice Columns, August 25, 2015)

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Sometimes I see patrons in a store or restaurant peer at the service employee’s name tag and say something like, “Hello there … Tiffany … how are you today?” It always comes out with this forced conviviality, as if to say, “Look, everyone! I’m a good, egalitarian person treating the lowly server as a person. Isn’t that great of me?” I think it actually says, “You have such a menial job that you’re forced to wear a stupid name tag, so I know your name and feel free to use it even though I don’t know you, but you don’t know my name because I’m a higher-class person and get to dress the way I want.” I think name tags are just so you know whom to refer to if needed, as in, “I think Tiffany is our server. Could you ask her to bring the check?” Am I right to see this as presumptuous behavior?

GENTLE READER: The presumption in the greeting you mention is not in using Tiffany’s name but in asking the waitress how she is “doing,” a question about her mood or life that is not relevant to the business at hand. Miss Manners has no objection to using a form of address that has been supplied by the addressee, even if, in this case, it may technically have been Tiffany’s boss who chose the form. She does wish the form supplied was more formal, as she agrees with you that first names in this context are an invitation to mistreatment. It is not rude to use a server’s first name if it is provided on a name tag; what is rude is personal inquiries.

So, in not so many words, remember what Miss Manners teaches about the etiquette of respecting someone’s personal boundaries. While it is nice to know your server’s name at a restaurant, be kind and treat all those in service positions in the same manner that you would want to be treated. Name tags are a convenient way of remembering someone’s name. They are meant as an identifier and as such, should be treated with respect.