By WTF - 03/12/2014 21:21 - United States - Conroe

Today, my boss at my new call center job said he'd gotten complaints about me. Apparently I sound "too black" and it's "upsetting" some of our customers. I don't know what that even means, but my boss said I need to "tone it down or we're gonna have some problems". FML
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You deserved it 3 789
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Top comments

Sora_McKain 36

That's a bit racist in the first place. And you can't help the way you sound. Your boss is a douche.

270 12
Ltsdragons 19

Talk about a weird comment and it wasn't all too kind. You can't control how you sound. Your boss should definitely know that

226 12

Comments

MSbear456 5

What part of the Deep South do you live at?

3 16
RedPillSucks 31

racism happens just as much in the north too. they're just more sneaky about it

13 2
0o0o0 9

There is no excuse for racism.

7 2
skittyskatbrat 19

When you have a job that interacts with the public, you need to have a proper public speaking style, period. If you have a strong accent or are difficult to understand, that's grounds for firing. I am a teacher and I have two very different voices. One I use at home and with family and that is very casual and has a very definite local accent. And one that I use in the classroom and when interacting with colleagues. If I start talking like a hick to my students with axking and y'all and twang, I can expect a pink slip promptly. It's not professional and not appropriate. If you can't sound professional and can't tone it down to a nice, boring, newscaster-type standard proper English voice, then you might not be suited to a call center job. You can't use your regular voice in that job, unless you are lucky enough to have your regional dialect be the very proper, boring, correctly-pronounced Midwest accent. A "universal" voice is a must.

5 20
teentee401 36

Why are you assuming he was speaking incorrectly? OP's boss said "black" not "unprofessional."

13 0
skittyskatbrat 19

any accent, no matter whether the term describing it is racist or not, is a problem. It has to be a boring proper-English voice. Big FAIL on the interviewer for not making sure the person had a good call-center type voice!!!! It's not a big deal in most jobs, but in a call center? With calls from all over the country? Boring and unaccented is a must.

2 16
brwneyes 17

A lot of call center jobs are outsourced anyway so chances are you will be speaking to someone that has an accent. If OP was not speaking in a professional manner then the boss should have said that.

9 0
skittle_QUEEN_YO 15

Two things One, you contradicted yourself You said the person has to have a bored ordinary ENGLISH type voice But guess what? There are so many english types of voices! Do you mean one from england or america? Perhaps maybe a canadian aye to the end? There is no one proper english way cause there are so many! Also in my days i have heard many different accents when calling companies in my country! As long as they speak slowly enough and anounciate it should all be okay. Excuse me while I twirl a dinger through my afro and smirk my smirk of victory. Ps. Excuse any Spelling or grammar mistakes typing on a tiny screen is no fun

8 0
skittle_QUEEN_YO 15

Wow ya sorry for all my spelling mistakes!

0 0
patrickeli 15

No offense to blacks, but maybe he meant "ghetto," and worded it in a politically incorrect way?

4 14
engineerosaurus 26

Where, by "politically incorrect", you mean "blatantly wrong".

18 1
Sasha_94 13

I stopped reading at "blacks"

0 0
Sathane 21

"What problems? You mean the problems your company is going to have once my lawyer hears that we even had this conversation?"

11 0
by4x4 4

I think it was more about your word choice then your actual tone.

2 5
brwneyes 17

What does "too black" mean? I would have questioned your boss. He needs to be more specific. Tone it down ...your boss sounds like a dumb ass.

6 0
RedPillSucks 31

what call center do you work for? The KKK hotline? what kind of customers have this issue

18 0
vikky538 28

I know how that feels OP...I got similar comments in a call center job..in Texas ...

1 1