Don’t say sir over the phone, soldiers told

Soldiers should stop addressing officers on the telephone as “sir” as the “outdated” greeting risks causing offence, a senior officer has said. Col Steve Davies, the Army’s assistant head of employment, said personnel should give their rank and name, then ask: “How can I help you?” An unnamed soldier raised the issue in a letter to the Army magazine, asking whether saying “sir” was appropriate when the gender of a caller was unknown.

THE Army is set to drop its tradition of addressing officers on the telephone as “sir” as the “outdated” greeting causes offence, a senior officer has said.

Col Steve Davies, the Army’s assistant head of employment, said service personnel should instead open the conversation by introducing their rank and name, followed by asking: “How can I help you?”

The move comes at a time when the military has been accused of caving into political correctness. Last month, the Army outlined plans to drop its “Be the Best” slogan as it was deemed elitist and frightened off recruits, until Gavin Williamson, the Defence Secretary, intervened and reversed the decision.

Troops are also being told to use gender-neutral terms instead of words such as “mankind” and “manpower”.

The issue with answering the phone using “sir” was raised by an unnamed soldier, who wrote to Soldier magazine, the Army’s official publication, and questioned if they should say the controversial word when answering the phone without knowing if it was a man or woman on the other end.

The letter read: “With the MOD correctly placing a lot of importance on various diversity, inclusion and gender related issues, may I bring everyone’s attention to the way we greet and speak to each other. For example when the telephone rings I must answer with the name of my department, my name, followed by ‘how can I help you, sir’.

“Presumably we say ‘sir’ because regimental sergeant majors and officers were once all male, harking back to a time when only men were allowed to serve in the military.

“Secondly, when I see an officer walking through the barracks I must greet them with the word ‘sir’ or ‘ma’am’ but am I not risking offence here by assuming someone’s gender or implying that they actually see themselves as having a gender?

“Isn’t it about time the Army considered abolishing these Victorian style greetings?”

Col Davies replied to the letter in the magazine, saying: “The use of gendered terms when greeting officers as you walk around barracks reflects a convention that is used in many important sectors of British society.

“I would disagree that the British Army is somehow out of step with the community in this regard. Saying ‘sir’ or ‘ma’am’ is both appropriate and polite.

“However, I agree that the convention of answering the telephone using ‘sir’ without knowing who one is speaking to is now considered outdated and arguably unnecessary.

“The opening gambit of saying your rank and name followed by ‘how can I help you?’ is both respectful and appli- cable to all callers and should be adopted.”