Sydney Johnson
Accent bias has been shown to impact employment and social interactions in the workplace. How does this way of thinking trace back to ancient themes of classism and racism that still exist today?
Accent bias is an issue that is increasing in our society, particularly in the workplace. It affects the way people are able to communicate with their colleagues or higher-ups.
When we think about accent bias, it’s almost as if we are judging a book by its cover without reading the table of contents. Victims of this phenomenon feel as though that they will be turned away from jobs, even if they are overly-qualified, due to the way they sound.
“Classism, racism, and elitism all play a part in accent bias”
“I don’t want to change my accent but I am convinced I need to do so before I can go to [university] or be employed,” said an 18-year-old who was interviewed by the Guardian about accent bias.
Accents are what define us as people. It can tell someone what city you’re originally from, what country you originally belong to, what community you reside in. It’s a unique attribute to human language and how we communicate to one another.
However, sometimes accents can get lost in translation and betray us, due to unwarranted prejudice and racist ideals. We must acknowledge accent bias in the workplace in order to protect individuals who may fall victim to it.
What is Accent Bias?
It is defined as unwarranted and unjustifiable prejudice toward individuals and communities who speak a language with an accent different from the dominant culture.
“There is an unwavering need to pigeonhole people based on how they present themselves”
Whether we choose to ignore or not, our culture in the West relies on utilising the English language mainly. The spread of the English language throughout time has resulted in different accents being put in a hierarchy. These have superficially been based on competency and pronunciation.
Accent Bias in the UK
Accents have always played a role in British culture and proved to show how multicultural this country is. But, this is not the case for those who are starting in the workplace and classified as having an “accent”. According to the Guardian, researchers who surveyed thousands of Britons found that young people from the north of England and the Midlands, were more likely to be concerned that their accent would go against them, compared with people from the south of England (other than London).
Can you imagine someone being rejected from a role in London simply because of their Scouse accent?
“Over seventy-seven per cent of people working in creative industries have felt they had to change their accents”
You might be asking yourself: what does this have to do with me? However, it has to be said that as a society, we have underlying issues within “accentism” without realising it.
Accent Bias in the Workplace
Imposing judgement about people, especially in the workplace, is a form of regular human nature. It’s how we assess and problem solve. Research shows that we unconsciously group people into a specific social class and prejudice against them based on their accents.
When looking at accent bias in the workplace, there is an unwavering need to pigeonhole people based on how they present themselves, no matter how authentic. In order to be seen as “equal” with their colleagues, Britons have felt they must change their accent depending on the work environment they enter. For example, over seventy-seven per cent of people working in creative industries have felt they had to change their accents in the workplace.
Racism being accent bias
Outside of professional work settings, this conversation opens up a Pandora’s box of issues that already exist within the country. Classism, racism, and elitism all play a part in accent bias and can detrimentally affect any community.
With rising sentiment of anti-immigrant attitudes in the past few years, one might also think otherwise. This past year, Reform MP leader Nigel Farage gained traction in the media for his comments on the lack of “English speakers” in the UK.
“Learn more about this and stop yourself from thinking in this negative way”
Moving forward, as a society we need to start actively discussing this negative cycle that is still ongoing in the workplace. As humans, our unconscious bias will push us to believe sentiments about a certain group in society without us realising it.
As scary as it sounds, it does not mean you are a bad person if you are actively fighting against these outdated stereotypes. It means you are being socially aware and making a conscious choice to not think negatively about your peers.
How do I stop myself from participating in accent bias?
You might be wondering, how can I prevent myself from participating in accent bias? By staying educated and listening to your peers who are affected by this, learn more about this and stop yourself from thinking in this negative way.
Here are some literature recommendations that talk about accent bias and its historical context, when thinking about racism and classism :
Together, we can all stop this phenomenon from spreading so we can all feel not just accepted at work, but anywhere in our communities.
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Featured image courtesy of Ninthgrid on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image licence found here.
Sydney Johnson
Hi! My name is Sydney and I am a trainee journalist at Cardiff University studying to get my masters in International Journalism. I am originally from the States and I have a background in writing about local and international news. In my free time I love to read, write, travel and try new restaurants.