Over the years in the corporate world, this was definitely the worst comment I have ever heard and that too from my manager that " your accent and pronunciation might be ticking people off". Remember that my current company"which is not HPE" has a LOT of desis like me, none in my team though which is all white. It sure is funny but more derogatory I feel. Exploring other opportunities now. But it sucks what we have to put up with so that we can keep supporting our families till we can find better environment
What’s a desis? Sounds like the comment wasn’t really off base given the writing sample you’ve posted. Have you made any effort to eliminate your accent or improve your diction? We send children to speech pathologists in primary school here — I know because I went to one weekly from Kindergarten thru 2nd grade.
Fyi bad pronunciation can be very annoying as it is distracting and makes it hard to focus on and process what you're actually saying rather than just trying to parse it.
I know for a fact that there is nothing wrong with my accent and pronunciation as in 20 years working in US, it has never been. Not being whiny at all, just stating the fact that I thought the comment were inappropriate. I am taking it in stride and exploring other options. Till I find one, I sure will find a way to survive here as long as I need to in a very decent way.
You have dodged all comments asking you what action you’ve taken. Yes you can find another job, no doubt, but why not eliminate this problem first? If someone said you needed to learn a new tech stack would you quit or adapt?
Changing accent is not the same as learning a new tech stack.
Look into structural action vowels. Try to understand the feedback.
That was not constructive feedback from your manager at all. To say that ticks people off is unprofessional. It’s completely uncalled for and you should let him know how you feel or go to HR about it. The comment was out of line and not phrased in a way that shows he wanted to help you improve in certain areas, in this case, how to speak more clearly. My manager has given me plenty of feedback, one that is somewhat similar to yours is I need to be more strong at providing feedback to people. Instead of just saying that, he also recommended a course provided at work that I could take and followed up with me to see how that went and what we can do to get me better in that area. I would have been completely offended if English wasn’t my first language and someone, especially a manager, said that to me.
Some cultures have a more aggressive style of speech than others, and if you’re not careful, it will piss born-here Americans off. Might not be fair, but life isn’t fair. And if you start with an accent and have a chip on your shoulder... it’s a lot easier to be the guy who gets ignored as useless, angry and irrelevant. It’s like how a large black man can never, ever show anger without being “threatening”.
You can tell op is Indian by his typed paragraph because he said “in my team” instead of “on my team” and also forgot an a. It’s subtle, but very common for Asians and Indians to make those errors that native speakers never would. Native speakers would make different errors altogether. Also Latin speakers would make different errors.
First thing first, embrace your accent. Nothing to be ashamed off. Have your manager try to speak your mother tongue. First generation immigrants mostly have it. Second, be thankful. Even though it was inappropriate, you are in a better position in knowing that something you do might tick off folks like your manager. Talk to someone you trust in your office and ask for specific feedback. It could something like interrupting folks in meetings, saying ok ok multiple times or none of it.
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Why is that the worst comment? please provide additional context. But from the limited context, your manager is trying to work with you. If someone in the room can't understand what you are saying, maybe you should work on your communication issues. As a fellow "Desi" don't be whiny.