Employers who discriminate against candidates with "bad accents" risk tribunals

New research from a leading employment law firm, Peninsula, shows that over three quarters of employers have discriminated against a job applicant due to their accent.

Prejudice against people with so-called "regional" accents is seen as such a widespread phenomenon that 63% of employees have admitted to disguising their accent at a job interview in order to further their careers.

The "worst accents", as uncovered by the research, are:

1. Birmingham

2. Liverpool

3. Newcastle

4. Glasgow

5. London (Cockney)

Commenting on these findings, Peter Done (MD of Peninsula) told us:

“It’s becoming evident, if you have a job interview, you must hide your accent! It is a type of discrimination that is hardly ever publicised but is however a prominent issue in today’s working world. Much has been said about discriminating against women and different ethnicities yet no-one seems to understand that a person’s accent can have a real effect on the success of their job interview.”

Peter continues “This is a very grey area in the law and there is no specific law stating that regional accents can not be discriminated against. Employees could still take action, citing areas such as race for the grounds of discrimination.”

“The problem that employers have is that they have an image in their heads of how their employees should look and sound and they are not willing to accept candidates who look or sound any different, no matter how suitable they are to the job role. This is ridiculous. Having in place a culturally diverse team can be a real advantage when looking at operations in a particular region.”

Concerning employees Mr. Done comments, “No-one should have to feel that they need to hide their natural accent in an interview. Although I understand the reasoning behind someone’s decision to do this, I urge them not to hide their accent. Like all types of discrimination there are times that it can act in a positive way, where people are given jobs based on their accent.”

Peter concluded: “People should understand that they do have some legal protection and as long as they have the necessary qualities required for the job, their accent will not play a part in the process. Employers should understand that by discriminating against people because of their accent, they are not only losing out on a potentially good employee but also putting themselves at risk of tribunal.”