1 in 10 Brits still anxious about 'accent bias' at work

1 in 10 Brits still anxious about 'accent bias' at work New research has found that 1 in 10 Brits feel self-conscious about their accents at work while other believe it has held them back from promotions - but one person wishes her regional accent was stronger A large proportion of Brits are still concerned about the so-called "accent bias" at work and feel anxious over how their voice sounds. A study found that one in 10 people in Britain feel self-conscious or anxious about their accents if they speak during business meetings or intense work scenarios. 3,300 adults in England, Wales and Scotland were part of research by the non-profit research agency More in Common. The research found people from which parts of the country experienced the highest anxiety due to their accents at work and even people who believe it has stopped them from progressing in their careers. This poll, commissioned by the organisation Common Ground, found that Geordies were the highest to feel anxious at work due to their accent. People with a Cockney accent - from east London - came second with 19% saying they felt anxiety over this at work and people with Welsh accents came third, at 18%. The accent with the highest rate of participants saying their voice was mocked at work by colleagues was people with a West Country accent, at 15%. Geordie accents came second in this category at 13%. Shockingly around 5% of participants said they believed their accents have stopped them from getting a promotion in their career. 13% of participants with Brummie accents said they felt their voice had cost them a promotion. The founder of Common Ground, which works to encourage social cohesion, Lara Newman said she has worked in the property industry for decades and changed her accent for her career. Lara, speaking to the BBC, said: "I am incredibly realistic about what would have happened had I gone to university or gone into the workplace with a strong west country accent. I felt like that was going to be an issue for me." The organisation founder said accents could create barriers for disadvantaged people from different regions of the country. Lara added: "I think there is a problem in the sense that [an accent] implies a level of education or otherwise. It implies class." Mia Tanswell, 22, from Manchester, told the BBC her accent did not impact her until she moved to Loughborough for university. She said: "I knew people were going to notice that I was northern and that I didn't speak the 'Queen's English'. Definitely in seminars I would sometimes feel like my accent would sound a bit less intellectual than other people, especially if I was the only northern student in the classroom." Despite this, Martha Powell, from Newport, said she wished her accent was more Welsh despite her fears that people could "make assumptions" about her based on her voice. She said: "I wish I would be able to stand out a little bit more, but I think I adapt my accent depending on where I am in the country."