Nametags

Avery Name Badge - Name badge labels - white - 50 pcs.I have a friend who once told me that he knew he had finally “made it” because he no longer had a job where he had to wear a name tag to work. For a long time, that defined for me the essence of “making it” as well.

My church, Covenant Presbyterian, used to have a strict rule that everyone had to wear name tags. My pastor, Dan Hendley, had thought of it - which was the oddest thing. He is the one guy who knows everyone’s name. Despite the fact that he doesn’t come across as affable as some pastors (by his own admission) he never forgets anyone’s name, even infants and middle names. But he realized that not everyone else is like that (especially me) so we all wore name tags for nearly a decade before the practice died out. It’s been revived a few times, but only half-heartedly. That’s too bad. The church only had about 250 members when this was going strong. Now it has over 800 with 1200 attending and nobody knows each other. By the time you see someone for the second time, you’ve definitely forgotten their name.

I noticed a disturbing trend in law enforcement sometime ago that fewer officers and deputies diligently wear their name tags. I have no evidence to support this claim, but those who know me well enough know that I am around law enforcement officers enough to notice. Recently, I’ve seen this trend carry over to the retail world where name tags were once considered part of the uniform. Some stores and restaurants seem to cloak their employees these days. Strikes me as a liability issue that might crop up one day.

Recently though, I came across a guy who has created an entire business around the fact that he wears a name tag all the time. He hosts his own blog here, and I have to say that he has certainly inspired me. I am strongly considering getting a nice name tag and wearing it more often - just to see what might happen. I doubt it could hurt.

What about you and your business? Could it hurt to have more name tags more prominently displayed on your employees? It surprises me how many small businesses don’t make a habit of making their employees wear name tags or having nice plaques at their desk (if they are essentially desk-bound employees). Could it be a way to make visitors to your business feel a little more comfortable. Banks require nearly everyone to have name tags and it sets people at ease in an environment where being uneasy is all to easy to feel. But, of course. They want customers to feel comfortable about placing their money with them. Don’t your customers deserve the same easy-going feeling. Last names aren’t required, but putting last names on name tags give your employees a sense of accountability.

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