Bias | Your accent affects how people view you

How much does regional elocution actually affect your job prospects? It’s a murky question, yet one that has seemingly worrying implications for the state of UK business’ bias against those from either foreign countries or from other parts of the UK.

Historically, those seeking to elevate their position would take elocution lessons before starting out in their desired field. For example, in his recent Desert Island Discs interview, Sir Ian McKellen discussed the process of attempting to lose his naturally Northern accent, hailing from Burnley, Lancashire.

And whilst this may sound like an outdated concept, a recent poll of over 2,000 UK professionals by the Equality Group found that a shocking 55% believe that the stigma around their accents negatively impacts their career progression, whilst 76% believed that a ‘posher’ accent was an indication of a higher socioeconomic status and therefore, those that spoke in this way have access to ‘better careers and opportunities’.

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Personality | Should you be yourself at work?

Worryingly, 22% even admitted to altering the way that they speak and changed regional and national dialect to ‘fit in’ – one in 10 have even deliberately chosen to hide where they were born to their employer, for fear of negative ramifications.