Strange use of 'colleagues'?

I often use the word colleague when speaking or writing to customers, they are actually employed by my husband and me but employees or staff in that context isn't right.

My manager at my last place told me that when I was dealing with a man with down syndrome, I should give him a 'high five' when he did well.
Never mind the fact that he and I had been conversing normally all day.

When Asda was taken over by Walmark over 5 years ago there was a managers every morning huddle chant.
Give me an A.
Give me a S.
Give me a D.
Give me an A.
Give me a pocket tap.
Give me another pocket tap.
Who is number one?
The customer. Always.
Hilarious.

At one time I used to introduce my workmate to clients as "my colleague" but she told me she preferred "my secretary".

When I got my first "proper" job in 1968 my boss, no. 2 in the organisation, always introduced me as his colleague, so it always sounds natural and courteous to me.

The were some separate gents. labelled "managers", but we all used them regardless.

Yes, I suppose it does give the impression of equality.
Whether that actually works, in practice may be a different matter.

Well it is more egalitarian. Rather than the bosses and the workers.

My son works as a night manager for Sainsburys and all employees even the big boss are referred to as colleagues.

Team mates?

The coop use it too when they need more people at the check outs. Even more annoying is the frequent use of the term "work colleagues" , work being uneccessary - a pleonasm I believe.

Not just me then, though I didn't realize that it already been in use in that context for so long!

Many years ago I worked for Asda when they changed the policy and decided to call us all colleagues instead of staff. We also had to start calling the Managers by their first names and not Mr/Mrs X as we always had done. Couldn't get used to it! They also insisted "This isn't OUR store - it's YOUR store"! As long as we got paid at the end of the month we didn't care whose store it was!

Wickes also uses colleagues - my husband worked for them and that was when I first heard this and it does grate on me.

Capitals, capitals - this is a pedants' thread! Yes, not yes.

At least John Lewis partners have a financial interest in the business and are entitled to be called that. I think it's just patronising to call employees "colleagues" when they don't. yes, "staff" is a good word.

"Huddle" reminds me of a Teletubbies group hug - not really suitable for a staff meeting!

Oh I can't stand all that rubbish! A huddle. Ugh!

My OH works at ASDA and they are all colleagues. Also when the department managers get together they don't have a meeting, they have a "huddle" !!!

In Tesco they call over the loudspeaker, "This is a colleague announcement, would xxx go to yyy."
As opposed to a general announcement like "please evacuate the building" :-)

I hate being called a customer by my water company or train company when I have absolutely no choice but to use them

In John Lewis and Waitrose the staff are all partners.

I think it’s a not very cunning ruse to give the employees a sense of belonging and that they ‘own’ the business mamacaz and an attempt to stop them imagining they are being exploited by the company

Asda have been using the word colleagues for years ( at our nearest Asda store at least). I too think Staff Parking is nice and clear however

The words employee and colleague are both from Latin so I'd prefer "Staff Parking" to either of them. Staff has the virtue of being an Old English word as well as being shorter than those others.