‘My boss’ name is Baby’: daily grind made worse for Hong Kong worker grossed out by cringey English name of his manager

• City worker says he is 'disgusted' by having to start emails to his boss - a woman in her 40s - with the words 'Dear Baby'
• Amused online observers tell of similar strange English names found in the city such as 'Chaos' and 'Honey'

What's in a name? they say, well, quite a lot when your moniker of your boss doubles as a cringey term of endearment.

For one Hongkonger the normal daily workplace woes have been multiplied by the fact that his manager's English name is "Baby", causing much hilarity on the city's social media.

The woes of the working man made it onto Hong Kong anonymous discussion forum Dcard.

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"We all call each other by our English names in the company, but my boss' English name is 'Baby', and she is in her 40s," the frustrated and angry worker said.

© Provided by South China Morning Post In Hong Kong, many people choose, or are given, unusual English names. Photo: Shutterstock

He said he found it "extremely disgusting" that every time he wrote an email to his boss, it began with "Dear Baby" or "Hi Baby".

The post, published in mid-January this year, attracted dozens of comments from curious online observers, most of them found the poster's experience hilarious.

One joked: "Imagine what would happen if you go with her to a meeting with another company?"

Others said the poster should resign immediately: "It's horrible! I can't imagine."

© Provided by South China Morning Post One city worker has complained that because of his boss's name, he has to start every email with

Others offered suggestions such as: "Next time, call her by her last name, like Ms Chan, or just Ms Baby, then it won't be so gross" or "Just call her manager. It would show your respect for her."

Other users shared some of the strange English names they had encountered.

"I met a guy called 'Seafood'," said one.

Another said: "My friend's co-worker is called 'Honey', it's like having an extra boyfriend when emailing."

Another online observer said: "I know someone called 'Chaos' and I thought to myself, why don't you call yourself 'Disaster'?"

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This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.

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