This week on Work and Class, we're talking about accent bias - the subtle form of prejudice that shapes how people are perceived at work, often without anyone consciously admitting it.
Accent bias is everywhere. It affects recruitment, career progression, confidence, and even the roles people feel they can aspire to. Yet it rarely gets the attention it deserves.
In this episode, we are joined by Kevin Latham, Research and Policy Manager at the Sutton Trust, and Holly Wilcock, an employment associate at Lewis Silkin. Tom Heys explores what the research on accent bias actually tells us, including a striking statistic that 76% of interviewers admit to being swayed by a candidate's accent.
Kevin also unpacks the persistent ranking of accents by prestige and why Northern and Midlands accents consistently come out worst, while Holly shares her own experience of being told her West Country accent would make it "really difficult to get a job" as a lawyer.
Together, they discuss why accent bias gets stronger as people age, why university is often the moment it hits hardest, and what employers can do about it - including one simple, zero-cost intervention that has been shown to make a real difference.
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