According to a new report by the Sutton Trust, Speaking Up, significant numbers of workers are concerned that they are discriminated against because of their regional or ethnic accent. One in four (25%) reported having been mocked, criticised or singled out for their accent in work settings, increasing to almost half (46%) in social settings. 

Researchers found that self-consciousness and anxiety about accent bias are highest during university, particularly when approaching the end of a degree and facing entry into a chosen career, with 35% of university students saying they are self-conscious about their accent. 

The highest levels of concern that their accent might hinder their ability to succeed was expressed amongst those coming from the North of England and Midlands. This was especially true of those with accents from Northern industrial cities, like Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham (commonly stereotyped as ‘working class accents’). Anxiety was highest amongst those coming from a lower or poor socio-economic background, when compared to those coming from better-off backgrounds.

In summary, the report makes the following recommendations:

• action to tackle accent bias should be seen as an important diversity issue in the workplace 
• recruiters should undergo training to help to reduce any accent biases
• employers should aim to have a range of accents within their organisation
• there should be no implicit expectation within the workplace that professionalism is signalled by sounding like a person from a certain region, socio-economic background, or who has had a public-school education
• action to tackle accent biases and prejudice should take into account work-associated social settings

The report recommends a 15-minute free training course for recruiters: https://accentbiasbritain.org/training-for-recruiters/ and that recruiters are asked to read this statement before interviewing: ‘Recent research has shown that, when evaluating candidates’ performance, interviewers in the UK can be influenced by the candidates’ accents of English. In particular, they tend to rate candidates who speak with a “standard” accent more favourably than candidates who speak with ‘non-standard’ accents. This is an example of so-called ‘accent bias’. The focus should be on the knowledge and skills of the candidate, not their accent. Please keep this in mind when assessing the suitability of candidates.’