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Like many young black people, Lucrece Grehoua is an expert in code-switching - used to changing her voice, accent and mannerisms when she enters white-majority spaces. But should she really have to? In this programme, Lucrece reveals the cost of hiding who we really are in the workplace and explores the mechanics of code-switching, a term first used to describe the experience of African-American students in the 1970s. She shares her own story of being taught to become \u201ca palatable black girl with a soft voice and an unceasing smile\u201d. And she talks to other young professionals about the steps they\u2019ve taken to fit in \u2013 from adopting a \u201cwhite voice\u201d in the office to changing how they behave and switching up their look. We also hear from those who, tired of code-switching, are daring to be themselves in the corporate world.

Lucrece speaks to:\nHer friends Emmanuel Ajayi, Cheryl Jordan Osei and Ivan\nHer Mum and brother Steve\nCriminal barrister Leon Nathan Lynch\nSociolinguist Devyani Sharma from the Accent Bias Britain Project\nNels Abbey, author of Think Like a White Man, A Satirical Guide to Conquering the World While Black\nElizabeth Bananuka, founder of BME PR Pros and The Blueprint\nSocial Mobility Commissioner and lawyer Sandra Wallace

Picture Credit: Jeff Overs/BBC