'I didn't speak the Queen's English': Why people worry about their accents

Mia Tanswell, a 22-year-old from Manchester, didn't consider her northern accent a significant issue until she started university in Loughborough. She felt her accent was perceived as less intellectual, especially when she was the sole northern student in a class. Recent polling by the BBC reveals that many workers still view accent bias as a problem.

The survey, conducted by More in Common, found that one in ten British adults experience anxiety or self-consciousness about their accent in high-stakes professional situations, such as business meetings. This anxiety was most pronounced among Geordies and those with east London accents, with 19% and 18% respectively reporting such feelings.

Around 5% of respondents believed their accent had cost them a promotion, pay rise, or senior role. Brummies, or people from Birmingham, were the most likely to feel this effect at 13%, followed closely by those with a Geordie accent at 13%. The poll, commissioned by Common Ground, an organization promoting social cohesion, also found that respondents with a West Country accent reported the highest rate of having their accent mocked or criticized by colleagues at 15%.

Common Ground's founder, Lara Newman, acknowledges that she changed her accent to advance in her career, particularly in the construction, property, and built environment industries. She believes accent bias often implies a level of education or social class. Martha Powell, a 24-year-old from Newport in Wales, is proud of her accent but fears it may lead others to make assumptions about her.

She often adapts her accent when networking to avoid stereotyping. The survey also reveals that around 13% of Britons admit to softening their accent to sound more professional. However, a foreign accent can also present challenges, as Benjaimin Aidomoan discovered when he moved to the UK from the Czech Republic at 16. Despite some employers' claims of equal treatment regardless of accent, career expert Charlotte Davies from LinkedIn stresses that accent is part of one's identity and should be treated as a strength rather than smoothed out.