WQhen does 'teasing' by your manager go too far?

avstar

Ok maybe I'm being over sensitive, but I'm getting seriously cheesed off with my manager taking the mickey out of my accent :mad:

I live and work in Yorkshire, and have a Yorkshire accent. A couple of years ago my job was reorganised and I was moved into a team based mainly in London (I still work in Yorkshire). My manager and most of the team are from London and have London (or posh) accents.

Every single time I speak to my manager (every day on the phone) we go through the same old tired routine of taking the mickey out of my accent "Eee by gum, na than, mucky boots" Gawd knows where that last one comes from cos I've never heard it oop north .

Maybe it was slightly funny the first few times he did it but now I'm seriously cheesed off with it. Sometimes I have to ring about something serious or urgent and yet we still go thru this rigmarole. I'm good at my job and have been doing it for 13 years yet this belittles me, making me sound like some northern thicko....can you tell I'm annoyed?

He thinks it's hilarious and I don't. Today he did the routine and I said "You know, you don't have to do that everytime you speak to me".. he then said "I don't understand what you've just said hahaha" Yeah freakin hilarious.

I like a laugh during the working day, it's what gets us through the day but this, esp when I'm trying to be serious, is not funny. I just don't feel confident enough to say that to him, it's not a friendly approachable company/industry and there has been redundances so no-one is willing to rock the boat on anything.

Shall I just develop an even thicker skin, how would you handle it? I feel like asking him if he would take the mickey if I had an Asian accent for example?

Ta for any advice!

jinky67

I would just say that the joke has now worn thin:cool:

and I would say it everytime he starts


or just start saying to him that you cant understand him ::D

dmg24

Bullying (or teasing) is down to individual perception - if it is aimed at you, and you feel that it has gone too far, then it has. I would agree with jinky67, a firm 'not funny anymore' might resolve the problem informally. If not, you have every right to take it further.

movingforward2010

he sounds like a t\/\/@t

JUNIOR

Why dont you hit him back with some cockney slang " Do us a cheasey quaver and stop taking the gypsy kiss out of my accent or i will strangle you with your peckham rye !" or something along that line

Try having a quiet word with him , tell him its making you feel uncomfortable

If it dont stop put a grievence in

J

tizhimi

I'm a Yorskshire girl, I think they are jealous of our lovely accent we have up here. Screw him, start taking the michael out of his grotty accent!

avstar

I just know he won't take kindly to it if I pull him to one side and say it's not acceptable, he's quite loud & aggressive and I suspect he'll make life difficult if I don't go along with the joke, he'll feel embarrassed and try and make me look stupid, you know what it's like.

I'll have to bite the bullet and say something - I can't be @rsed joking back with him (altho Junior your rhyming slang made me laugh...struggled to work out' Pekham Rye' LOL!)

Zozo1985

I would just let it go over your head, don't show it is irritating you, don't make any sort of reaction of any kind, by giving him a reaction in front of everyone he is getting what he wants. If you don't say or do anything, he will get very bored of it!

I worked for a company in Wigan and a lot of the staff where from Manchester, Liverpool, Midlands, Newcaslte etc and they used to take the mickey out the Wigan accent! The Cheek!! Get out of Wigan then I used to say to them haha!

tizhimi

I don't know what else to suggest - you know what us Yorkshire folk are like, if it was me there would be a full on collision but thats the rough east yorkshire genes in me coming out where as my placid north yorkshire genes would say let it go...

depend where your from. If your from west yorkshire I'm suprised the man is still alive! If your from South Yorkshire, goodness me I pity that poor man 'cos your on a train down already!!

lol, now I've offended every part of Yorkshire (you know its true though) I would suggest pulling him up on it or just talking over him or be quite curt and say "can we get to the point?"

lol

avstar

tizhimi wrote: »

I don't know what else to suggest - you know what us Yorkshire folk are like, if it was me there would be a full on collision but thats the rough east yorkshire genes in me coming out where as my placid north yorkshire genes would say let it go...

depend where your from. If your from west yorkshire I'm suprised the man is still alive! If your from South Yorkshire, goodness me I pity that poor man 'cos your on a train down already!!

lol, now I've offended every part of Yorkshire (you know its true though) I would suggest pulling him up on it or just talking over him or be quite curt and say "can we get to the point?"

lol

Yep certainly true :rotfl:

Officially West Yorks but only 7 miles from Harrogate so I'm a fairly genteel type of Tyke

tizhimi

Goodness me 'Arrogate, no wonder you're being all nice and posh and not saying anything! It depends how much its upsetting you love, I live in Sheffield these days and if any folk took the p*ss out of my East Yorks accent I jump on em and give em it right back. Thats just me thought, I'm very defensive of my heritage, if anything accents are dying out and we don't all want to sound like neutral southerners.