In August 2017, China News Service, reprinting the Yangtze Evening News, reported that nine in ten new employees interviewed found it hard to know how to address colleagues. The forms in use included 王工, Engineer Wang, 师傅, master, and 姐 and 哥, sister and brother.
The same month, the China Youth Daily gave a warning about one familiar offer: “Some people will say, just call me Little Liu. But if he is a senior colleague, calling him that is somewhat inappropriate.”