‘Stakeholder told me to stop talking in meetings because of my accent,' claims Indian professional working in US

A 32-year-old Indian professional working in the USA has alleged that he was asked to stop speaking in meetings because his accent was difficult to understand. The man posted in Reddit’s Indian workplace thread about his disappointment due to the behaviour meted out towards him by a 55-year-old team member.

"Today, during a meeting, I asked a team member (about 55 years old) for a project update as part of my regular responsibilities. He told me to stop speaking in meetings because he couldn't understand my accent," the Indian employee wrote on the r/IndianWorkplace subreddit.

The man also shared that it was the first instance in his professional career when he had been stopped from speaking by one of his team members.

"I felt dismissed and insulted. I've always made an effort to communicate clearly and professionally. No one else has said anything like this before I have been with the same client for over a year now," he said.

"Is this kind of reaction something others have encountered? How do you deal with something like this professionally without letting it damage your confidence or your contributions?"

Stakeholder told me to stop talking in meetings because of my accent-is this normal?
byu/OkSpecial9640 inIndianWorkplace

Netizens react

As the post went viral, many users sympathised with the man while others told him to check with others if his accent was indeed thick for native English speakers.

"That's really rude, usually if they cannot understand you they might ask you to speak slowly, but telling you to just stop speaking is very rude and not normal behaviour," said one user.

Another user commented: "That's so rude and constitutes workplace bullying I think. I would speak to my manager and file an HR complaint."

A third wrote: "Please do understand from your colleagues how do you fare in your spoken skills/accent. If it's good, get a senior / manager to talk to the client about the issue. If there's a genuine gap which should be bridged, seek help and work on it."

A fourth user said: "Setup a meeting, and record yourself speaking. Then play it back and listen to yourself. This can be a good litmus test of how others "hear" you."

Also read: SHOCKING NEWS! 55-YO Mumbai techie lived alone in trash-filled flat for 3 years; survived on online food orders (startuppedia.in)