In a viral video that has garnered over 600,000 views, Samantha Hart shares a humorous yet relatable dilemma she faces each time she transitions to a new job: her email address. “Well y’all, it’s official, I have a new job, which means that I will be transitioning from my current position to a new one within the next two weeks,” she begins, expressing her excitement about the new opportunity. However, amidst this excitement, there’s one thing she dreads—having to discuss how her name fits into the company’s email structure.
“My name is Samantha Hart, and most companies use the email designation of first initial, last name, meaning that my email would be ‘shart,'” she explains with a mix of humor and exasperation. She continues, “I’ve had two professional jobs so far, and at every single workplace, this has been the email company structure. And, at every single workplace, I have received an email from HR the week before I start letting me know that my name does not exactly fit the company email structure as they would intend and if I would mind if they gave me a different structure for my email. I always say, ‘Yeah’—like, yeah, I don’t want an email that says shart! Yeah, fix it. Give me something else.”
As Samantha prepares to transition into her new role, she anticipates yet another awkward conversation about her email address. “At this point, I feel like I should just reach out right off the bat and say, ‘Look, you’re not going to want my email to be this. You’re going to want to give me something else.’ Or should I let them come to me? Should I let them initiate the conversation?” she asks her viewers, inviting them to weigh in on her situation.
The consensus among her viewers was clear: asking for the change upfront is the best approach. Samantha, who works in non-profit media relations, noted that HR professionals are usually aware of the issue and try to handle it tactfully. “They dance around the topic or try to allude to it, asking if we can choose another email for me tactfully,” she shares. To lighten the mood, Samantha often uses the story as an icebreaker in meetings, making herself more approachable and bringing laughter to the room.
Samantha’s preferred email is simply “sam@,” but she acknowledges that this only works in smaller companies. More often, she ends up using her middle initial in her email address, though it can be frustrating when people forget to include it.
Her advice to others with unique or unfortunate names? Own it! “Being able to laugh about the unfortunateness and making it something I can joke about with people has become a type of superpower for me. You can either let people write your narrative, or you can steer it yourself,” she says. Instead of being embarrassed by her name, Samantha has chosen to embrace it, using it as a way to connect with others and bring joy into her life. “My parents and I laugh about it all the time to this day. You get to choose how you react to things, and leaning into my funny name has truly been a source of joy for me,” she concludes.
Samantha’s story has resonated with many, proving that humor and a positive attitude can turn even the most awkward situations into opportunities for connection and laughter.
This Woman’s Name Is Going Viral On TikTok Because Her Employer Said It “Doesn’t Fit The Company Email Structure,” And You’ll Laugh But Go, “OHH I See”