Can you reject a candidate based on accent?
Refusal to hire or promote an employee based on their accent is generally discrimination. For positions that rely on the ability to communicate clearly where an accent might interfere with the applicant’s on-the-job duties, the court may not consider hiring decisions based on accents to be discriminatory.
How do foreign accents impact perception and credibility?
A foreign accent undermines a person’s credibility in ways that the speaker and the listener don’t consciously realize, new research shows. Because an accent makes a person harder to understand, listeners are less likely to find what the person says as truthful, researchers found.
Is your accent a protected characteristic?
National Accents Whilst accent is not specifically listed as a protected characteristic, nationality and national origins are. A National Accent may be from a different country within the UK – Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland – but the Act would still cover this discrimination.
How does accent affect perception?
speakers. Researchers suggested “that a foreign accent affects the visual perception of the speaker, even when the person is not speaking” (Foucart, 2019). The results from this experiment suggest that foreign- accented speakers are perceived to be less clear than native accented speakers.
How does accent affect communication?
Ineffective communication due to a strong accent can create barriers in business; it may also have negative effects on job performance, cause missed job opportunities, affect educational advancement and everyday life activities. It may also affect your self-esteem.
Does your accent affect your job application?
According to recent surveys, it does. Eight in 10 employers admit to making discriminating decisions based on regional accents, according to research from law firm Peninsula, and an ITV/Comres survey found that 28\% of Brits feel discriminated against because of the way they speak.
Do you feel discriminated against because of your accent?
Eight in 10 employers admit to making discriminating decisions based on regional accents, according to research from law firm Peninsula, and an ITV/Comres survey found that 28\% of Brits feel discriminated against because of the way they speak.
How important is your accent?
Accents can have an immediate impact on someone’s perception of you. Having a posh accent is taken as a sure sign of education, social class and even wealth. While, other accents are often treated with disdain and even ridicule.
Should regional accents be encouraged in the workplace?
In April, the chancellor, George Osborne, was criticised for adopting a mockney accent in a speech about welfare reforms. Regional dialects can certainly be an asset in some industries and actively encouraged. Nicola Redman’s strong Northern Irish twang has been her unique selling point in her career as a voice actor.