Microaggressions at the workplace

How does one deal with something negative that is usually done unintentionally? Often people are unaware of how their words or actions are impacting the recipient who is usually from a different or marginalized group. But being unaware isn’t an excuse for perpetuating harmful behaviors or beliefs.

Subtle, usually unintentional, everyday interactions and behaviors that communicate biases towards historically marginalized groups, impacting the receiver’s ability to do their job, sense of safety and just basic happiness, that’s Micro Aggression for you. These biases, usually a result of their upbringing, are usually so deep rooted that people don’t even know they possess them, until they come face-to-face with them in a conversation or confrontation.?

Let’s say micro aggression does stare you in the face. How you react to it is important and some positive reactions would be;

Reflect: So, you realize you unknowingly committed micro aggression. Instead of reacting in a defensive manner, you could take a moment and reflect on what just happened.?

Just mispronouncing a co-worker’s name because it’s too difficult to say it, or using words and phrases that someone else finds offensive, is a sign of Verbal micro aggression.

Excluding a co-worker with a disability from an after-work event assuming that they aren’t capable of participating is an example of Behavioral micro aggression.

Not assigning an important project to a female employee assuming she won’t be able to do it only because she is a woman, is Environmental micro aggression.

Micro aggressions can have a huge impact on the productivity of employees facing them and therefore on the Organization. Micro aggressions can undermine your organization's diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and stagnate the innovation afforded by diverse perspectives. They can negatively impact careers as they are related to increased burnout and less job satisfaction and require significant cognitive and emotional resources to recover from them.?

So, the reality is that micro aggressions are not so micro in terms of their impact. They should be taken seriously, because at their core they signal disrespect and reflect inequality.