Addressing Accent Bias in the Workplace

When we speak to people about real-life examples of bias in the workplace, something that frequently comes up is the impact of Accent Bias. This type of bias refers to discrimination based on language, dialect, accent, or communication style and means people are unfairly judged on their accent rather than the content of what they’re saying.

Those with accents other than what’s considered ‘standard’ may find themselves facing biases in hiring, promotions or team dynamics. Not only does this limit the individuals ability to progress but it also reinforces our limited ideals of what “professionalism” looks and sounds like. 

So how can we work to mitigate this bias and embrace accent diversity? As with challenging any type of bias, it starts with intention and awareness.

Address Accent Bias. Keeping it front of mind, helps people to know when their thinking is being impacted by stereotypes. This can be done through educational initiatives, implementing Bias Interrupter prompts and hearing the stories of those impacted by Accent Bias. 

Leaders set the tone, always. They play an important role in actively addressing any instances of accent bias. They also need to celebrate accent diversity, as part of their ongoing efforts to champion all forms of diversity.

Representation matters! Seeing linguistic diversity in senior roles redefines our perception of professionalism and normalises ‘non-standard’ accents in leadership. Be intentional about lifting those voices!

Celebrate differences. This will look different for different teams and organisations but some ideas include language-sharing sessions or events to celebrate different cultures. 

What else can you do to celebrate the linguistic diversity in your team?

Squash use drama to spotlight the reality of bias in the workplace. We use scenarios based on lived experiences to start a dialogue on how to respond and rethink. Find out more here.