What do you hear?
Last week I was interviewing for a graduate research assistant to help me with some research projects. One of the candidates really stood out to me, right from their resume. Clearly, a well accomplished individual with a BCom and an MBA with years of excellent work experience who had now decided to attend university in Canada and work on a graduate degree in Education. Based on this background we invited her for an interview. Right from the first question, she kept apologizing for her accent and she repeatedly apologized throughout our time together. I reassured her not to worry at all and there were no issues of clarity required. Yet despite this reassurance, she continued to apologize. This made me wonder - was she ever made to feel inferior, did she ever face discrimination because of her accent? It certainly provoked a memory in me as it reminded me of a time my close friend was on the receiving end of accent bias.
A few years ago, my friend Novak (pseudonym) worked in IT as a database administrator. He came to Canada as a refugee during the Bosnian War. English is Novak’s third language. One day in a team meeting, he spoke to an issue the team was facing, to his surprise; his manager interrupted him saying, “Novak, we don’t understand you. We only speak the Queen’s English here.” This comment devastated him, silenced him, and yet not one member of his team spoke up against this blatant discrimination. Novak chose not to make a formal complaint about his manager, rather he did what many do who feel excluded or othered at work. Although it wasn’t immediate, he left the organization.
Inequities surrounding accent bias happens in the workplace, and for leaders who want to build authentically inclusive cultures, we need to reflect and consider how we can bolster diversity, especially for those who are speaking English as an additional language. Unfortunately, it is a well-researched and documented reality that the career progression and organizational reputation of employees who speak English as an additional language is undeniably curbed. International statistics indicate that when job candidates present who when for them are English is an additional speakerlanguage, they are less likely to be hired and less likely to be promoted.
This bias adds to cultural attitudes based on perceptions and assumptions that then leads to the false impression that English as additional language speakers are lacking in competence. This type of deficit thinking, when acted upon, leads to discrimination, and damages any efforts in creating an inclusive culture; a culture where ideas and innovation are judged on their merit, not on how they are pronounced, or whether the speaker is part of a homogenous mix.
Accents are an integral part of our identity. As leaders who work towards building an inclusive culture, we can acknowledge the different forms that bias can appear and how it can impact our attitudes and behaviours. Training in the areas is key. We all must make a conscious effort to look and listen beyond our biases related to the delivery of a message and focus on the content of the message, itself. To foster inclusion, it is important that we keep all communication as inclusive and non-judgmental as possible.
Next time you hear a speaker with an accent, take a moment to reflect on what might be coming up for you. How might you gentle challenge any assumptions?
Written by : Shailoo Bedi, Associate Coach, Inspired Results Group