Adjust Your Accent

[tbc]

I work for a very well known company in the UK. The manager recently moved from another company and to say he is way out of his depth is an understatement

Getting everyone to do double what they used to, plus his dirty work, while he sits doing nothing but moaning down the phone to his missus, he's unprofessional with everyone, clients, colleagues etc

Anyway we have a guy who works with us, he's a hard worker and knows his stuff (more than the manager), from across the water in mainland Europe, he speaks fluent English with only a slight accent, but nobody has ever had a problem understanding him

anyway he told us that the manager called him into his office the other week and has told him that he needs to 'Adjust his accent', and the manager didn't explain why.

Now I feel this is discrimination and the manager is completely out of order. I believe that if those at the top knew this the manager would be joining the nearest job centre queue

Be interested to hear what any Legal Eagles thoughts are on this subject.

[kaf]

Does your firm have a grievance procedure?

If so make a complaint, if nobody tells them what a pain he is, then how will they know?

[GingerWizard]

TBC sounds like your manager is about to be sacked. Totally unacceptable.

[davepoth]

Yup, definitely naughty. If the manager had said "you need to speak more clearly" that would IMV have been acceptable, but accent alone is a definite no-no.

[Maximum Bobs]

Your colleague should tell him to fark orf in his best estuary English accent.

[Jasandjules]

So a non UK national was invited to "adjust his accent"? Is the level of English spoken excellent? Can people understand him? If yes to both, then the manager has a problem, as does the company if they do nothing about it. What does the chap in question want to do about it?

[T0nup]

Doesn't help the OP, but it does beg the question how such people as this manager get to be managers in the first place... I guess it has to be a matter of who you know, not what you know, or that BS baffles brains.

[PottyMouth]

tbc said:

I believe that if those at the top knew this the manager would be joining the nearest job centre queue

Then tell those at the top.

This manager should be removed ASAP.

"Adjust your accent"... would he say that to a scot or a geordie? No, of course not.

Sounds like a first class cock to me.

[944fan]

T0nup said:

Doesn't help the OP, but it does beg the question how such people as this manager get to be managers in the first place... I guess it has to be a matter of who you know, not what you know, or that BS baffles brains.

Its called the Peter Principle:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Principle

People also get promoted out of the way as in some places an incompetent manager can do less damage than an incompetent worker.

[snuffle]

I don't know what your work/office situation is regarding how visable you are to customers,
but if at all possible I think it's time to have a "lets all speak like Borat day" .

Manager will hopefully have a breakdown.

[BOF]

Reminds me of the story about the Czech girl arriving at Heathrow...

Immigration Officer interviewing her asked;

'Do you find it hard to speak and understand English?'

She thought for a moment and replied;

'Do you mean difficult?'

BOF

[davepoth]

snuffle said:

I don't know what your work/office situation is regarding how visable you are to customers,
but if at all possible I think it's time to have a "lets all speak like Borat day" .

Manager will hopefully have a breakdown.

I think this would be a quite excellent idea if you can get away with it.

[Utterpiffle]

No help to OP, but last year we got told the official company language was now American English. They even gave us a patronising guide of examples.

We were obviously not impressed, and expressed that disapproval somewhat strongly.

Suffice to say that the rule was quietly dropped by management several days later.

[vxr8mate]

'Ow now brown cow'

[CobolMan]

You could get everyone who deals with your 'manager' to claim they can't understand his accent.

[AJS-]

PottyMouth said:

Then tell those at the top.

This manager should be removed ASAP.

"Adjust your accent"... would he say that to a scot or a geordie? No, of course not.

Sounds like a first class cock to me.

I'm from near Newcastle (not a geordie by the official standard but most Londoners think I am), and yes I did adjust my accent to make it more neutral while living and working in London, and perhaps even more so while working abroad. And yes a couple of colleagues/managers suggested this, not in an unfriendly way.

Agree that this guy sounds like a cock, but I don't think suggesting someone change adjust accent is that heinous, especially if they work in a customer facing role.

[marcosgt]

vxr8mate said:

'Ow now brown cow'

Bah joyve, Ah think eeeve go' it!

M

[fido]

AJS- said:

but I don't think suggesting someone change adjust accent is that heinous, especially if they work in a customer facing role.

OP said:

he speaks fluent English with only a slight accent, but nobody has ever had a problem understanding him.

Plain old bullying. Simples. P45 time for David Brent. Just to add i have a horrible Sarf London Accent with just a hint of Home Counties Grammar School.

[AJS-]

fido said:

AJS- said:

but I don't think suggesting someone change adjust accent is that heinous, especially if they work in a customer facing role.

OP said:

he speaks fluent English with only a slight accent, but nobody has ever had a problem understanding him.

Plain old bullying. Simples. P45 time for David Brent. Just to add i have a horrible Sarf London Accent with just a hint of Home Counties Grammar School.

Quite subjective though, coming from the OP who has worked with him for a while. You do get tuned in to the way some people talk. Perhaps the new manager didn't think so?

[matchmaker]

T0nup said:

Doesn't help the OP, but it does beg the question how such people as this manager get to be managers in the first place... I guess it has to be a matter of who you know, not what you know, or that BS baffles brains.

I used to have a manager who was known as FLB - Fat Lazy Useless bd - by all the staff. How did he get promoted into the post? Because promoting him was the only way his previous office could get rid of the fat useless !