Virginia Woman Starts a New Job, But Says She Dreads Talking to HR Because of Her Name’s Email Address: ‘Give Me Something Else’
She wasn't the only one with an interesting email address.
Unique names can be embarrassing to share when meeting strangers, but even more so when it’s in a corporate setting. But for Samantha Hart (@thesam_show), her seemingly normal name had become something she dreads talking about with HR when she begins a new job, all because of her name’s initials and how they’re used to craft her work email.
“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,” Hart said in a video she shared on TikTok. “Amidst all of this excitement that I feel about this transition and this move and this opportunity, I am filled with dread over one aspect of moving to a different job.”
While most new employees worry about the work environment, the job itself, or their coworkers, for Hart, her issue was how her name “fits into a company email structure.” According to her, most companies adopt the practice of using the initial of a first name and the full surname for emails. An example would be Jane Doe, which would translate to “jdoe.”
HR would change her email address
For Hart, this meant that her work email would sound something a little less professional than she hoped. “My name is Samantha Hart. And most companies use the email designation of first initial, last name. Meaning that my email would be ‘shart,’” the Virginia-based TikToker said.
It seemed that even the HRs from Hart’s past workplaces saw the unconventional email designation. According to the TikToker, she had been contacted by two separate HRs a week before she started working. Rather than automatically creating her work email, Hart had been asked if her email could be changed instead.
“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,” Hart said. “And would I mind if they gave me a different structure for my email. To which I always say, ‘Yeah, I don’t want an email that says “shart.” Yeah, fix it. Give me something else.’”
While her past workplaces reached out to her before she started working, Hart said her new company hadn’t yet and asked viewers if she should personally reach out to save them all the trouble it would bring. “I feel like, do I just reach out right off the bat and say, ‘Look, you’re not gonna want my email to be this. You’re gonna want to give me something else.’ Or should I let them come to me?” she asked.
Others share their own emails
It seemed that Hart isn’t the only one with this rather humorous issue. Viewers also shared their own names and how they would translate to corporate email. “This happened to my ex husband Paul Enis!” a commenter said. “Someone at my college was plowme and they would noooooot let her change it lmao,” a second commenter said. Another said, “Mine is S.Litts and my husband is C.Litts. We’re Clitts and Slitts.”
There were also fellow “sharts” in the comment section, who shared the different variations of their names. “My name is Sue Hartlove so my work emails are always shartlove,” a comment read. “Oh my first company just full on had Samuel Hart and Sam Harting as shart@ and sharting@.”
Now, the question is: Can you request a change in your email address to prevent such an issue from happening? Several users who claimed to be working in IT urged Hart and others in similar situations to personally reach out, as it can be troublesome to change it after the email had been made. “As an IT professional who has to create those accounts. It’s so much easier if you come to us first,” a user said. Another said, “As someone in IT – please reach out. When we have to rename a bunch of logins after someone starts it can cause headaches for everyone (inc you!).”
There is no definite answer on whether email addresses can be changed, as policies vary from each company and the system they work with. It is always recommended to ask the HR and IT departments if a change can be made. Luckily for Hart, her “shart” issue is no longer a concern following her marriage in April 2026, as she is now Samantha Showalter.
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