Microaggessions: A Thousand Invisible Cuts
“Some days were soul crushing,” says Shanay Bell, a senior communications professional. “I would deliberately park far away from the front door so I could prepare myself for the barrage of microaggressions and put on my mask.”
The term “racial microaggressions” was first coined by psychiatrist Dr. Chester Pierce in the 1970s to describe the everyday slights and indignities aimed at people of color. Those engaging in microaggressions are often unaware they’re committing them—many offenders consider themselves allies and profess equality, even as they act out their implicit biases. Most would be mortified at the thought that they harbored unconscious prejudices.
“I compare the experience of enduring microaggressions to feeling a thousand invisible cuts penetrate your skin,” Shanay says.
According to a SurveyMonkey study, more than a quarter of Americans say they have experienced a microaggression at work. While they are often directed at age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, and socioeconomic status, the overwhelming amount of microaggressions are still racially based.
Some common microaggressions include co-workers saying things like:
“Black women are usually the ones met with microaggressions,” confides Gwen, a senior business analyst. “We get it from everyone: Speaking to me as if I am an uneducated and unmotivated person who should be grateful for an opportunity in their organization. Devaluing my input and work because I am obviously only there to fit some quota. Pretending to have forgotten my name when addressing me in a meeting."
A mid-level executive I’ll call Sara says, “The microaggressions and at times straight-up aggression are endless, from colleagues assuming that I don’t have enough experience or expertise to comment on a topic—I’m a lawyer with an active license and I had a colleague tell me that I had no business providing my opinion on a legal matter—to folks being surprised at my presentation skills and how well I can speak and convey an argument.”
The human cost
Microaggressions are damaging to our co-workers’ mental health, job performance, and social experiences, yet most seem unaware that they are contributing to the problem. While the SurveyMonkey study revealed that 60% of workers said they had witnessed or potentially witnessed microaggressions, only 10% believe they had ever committed them. That’s a huge disconnect, and likely means a large swath of workers don’t see the role they are playing.
“Leaders of color are aware of it, but I doubt many white managers consider the toll it takes on people of color to confront their colleagues about these issues. I also don’t think white colleagues understand how deeply traumatizing it is to constantly justify and fight for the existence of Brown and Black people,” says Shanay.
The business cost
Imagine you have just been insulted or degraded in a meeting and are back at your desk. How long would it take you to refocus, twenty minutes? An hour? Over the span of a year, that lost time adds up, and it’s costing companies millions. (Check out this staggering estimate for time lost due to microaggressions at one organization.)
There are also tasks Black women perform to prevent microaggressions from happening in the first place that add to their load: “The constant editing I would go through on my emails to ensure I struck just the right tone, that I wasn’t too direct, that my word choice was mature…just to make sure that no one felt I was being ‘uppity’ or stepping on toes,” Sara says. “Microaggressions are a tax on productivity.”
Unchecked microaggressions in the workplace could also cost you top talent. Says Shanay, “If I had to guess, some Brown and Black colleagues are probably turning off their cameras more, disengaging from their team, not attending voluntary staff events, engaging in small talk instead of truly connecting, or looking for another job opportunity if the microaggressions they experience are festering or being ignored by management.”
And let’s not forget the costs of all the lawsuits filed due to hostile work environments. We’re looking at you, Tesla.
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What about all the DEIB initiatives?
The results are mixed. Organizations that have a true commitment to DEIB are making headway, while companies merely checking off the diversity box have seen little effect on worker satisfaction.
Crystal, a vice president of marketing for a non-profit, says, “My organization has been clear about its dedication to building diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. A firm level of commitment along with the DEI infrastructure creates an environment where you start to look at things differently, assess opportunities differently, consider options differently. I do think that it is having an impact on making [my company] a more inclusive environment where people feel they can bring their authentic selves to work.”
“I wouldn’t say that those initiatives are making a difference,” counters Sara. “They provide forums for discussion, but it often feels like leadership pays lip service to [the] communities.”
And at the company where Gwen works? “Outside of catchy slogans, colorful T-shirts, and an excuse for bagels, they make no difference.”
The role of management and senior leadership
Managers must be adept at spotting microaggressions, addressing them quickly, and supporting their employees. With two-thirds of managers being white—and therefore unlikely to understand the impact of their own implicit biases without training—rooting out prejudice and microaggressions at work requires having a well-funded DEI infrastructure. But there’s a problem.
“It doesn’t seem like many organizations or businesses take these initiatives seriously or fully fund them,” says Shanay. “Nowadays, many Chief Diversity Officers are being let go. Legislatures and governors are disbanding diversity committees at colleges and universities and striking DEI language from policies. And ‘diversity,’ ‘pronouns,’ ‘DEI,’ ‘intersectionality,’ and ‘inclusivity’ are suddenly considered divisive language.” She’s right. DEI positions have taken a huge hit in the past year.
So what can we do?
At the highest levels, companies must recommit to the DEIB programs they touted so strongly in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the subsequent protests of 2020. They need to do more than post strongly worded messages on their company website; they must put both corporate dedication and dollars behind DEIB. And in the absence of formal training, frontline managers must educate themselves on the psychological, physical, and economic effects of microaggressions on their teams.
The rest of us have work to do as well:
Educate yourself. There are plenty of books and online trainings designed to help you root out biases you don’t even know you have. Don’t rely on your Black co-workers to educate you.
“I think microaggressions are rooted in deep bias and prejudice,” says Crystal. “I don’t think everyone who engages understands the negative impact they are having. The whole point of coming to work every day is that you are trying to create value in concert with others for a certain purpose. What value does it create to undermine, discourage, or make people uncomfortable? What good does it do?”
And Shanay offers us this advice: “We must all be willing to humble ourselves and repair the harm in situations where we’ve offended a colleague. Be willing to have difficult conversations. And be open to learning about people who are different from us.”
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Great Laura Rose ??