Identifying and Addressing Microaggressions in the Workplace

A healthy and professional work environment is one of the drivers of an efficient and productive workplace and should be a top priority for both HR and administrative departments. A toxic workplace can have significant and lasting detrimental effects on employee well-being, productivity, and overall company success. Microaggressions in the workplace are the title given to this pattern of behavior and subtle and often unintentional discriminatory remarks or behaviors. These microaggressions in the workplace are a major contributor to toxicity. Recognizing and addressing microaggressions in the workplace is crucial for fostering inclusivity and preventing a hostile atmosphere.

According to a survey conducted by CultureMonkey, over 75% of employees have witnessed or experienced some form of microaggressions in the workplace. These incidents have been shown to lead to increased stress, reduced job satisfaction, and an overall decline in mental health. This article will offer practical tips for employees, employers and HR teams to identify, address, and prevent microaggressions in the workplace. We hope that the information you read here today will help you to create a more inclusive and supportive work environment and to be able to identify any microaggressions directed towards you or other colleagues in the workplace. 

Microaggressions are subtle, often unintentional, verbal or nonverbal actions or behaviors that communicate negative messages to individuals based on their position within a marginalized group. While microaggressions in the workplace may be rooted in conscious or unconscious biases and be intentional or unintentional, they always contribute to a hostile and unwelcoming work environment. In this section, we will discuss the various forms that microaggressions take in the workplace, and provide examples of their most common representations. 

It cannot be understated that intimately understanding and addressing these types of microaggressions is crucial for creating an inclusive workplace where employees feel respected and valued. To this end, HR teams play a pivotal role in fostering awareness, providing education, and implementing strategies to prevent and address microaggressions in the workplace.

Now that you have an understanding of the forms that microaggression in the workplace can take, we will now elaborate on the most common instances of microaggressions that you may find directed against you or your colleagues in the workplace.

Verbal Microaggressions

As the name suggests, verbal microaggressions are verbally spoken slights against other people in the office due to some stereotype or preconceived notion an individual has against another. Verbal microaggressions in the workplace typically take the form of:

Behavioral microaggressions

Behavioral microaggressions in the workplace are patterns of behavior that exclude certain groups and/or give unfair disadvantages based on race or gender. Instances of behavioral microaggressions include: 

Environmental microaggressions

Environmental microaggressions in the workplace refer to the features of a workspace or work culture that foster discrimination or bias against one group of people over another. Some common examples of environmental microaggressions include:

To handle microaggressions in the workplace, employers must identify their existence in the first place. In this section, we will discuss techniques and steps that employers and those in HR can implement to limit, control, and combat instances of microaggressions in their workplace. 

Setting clear anti-microaggression policies

Establishing explicit and comprehensive anti-microaggression policies is a critical step in eliminating microaggression in the workplace and creating an environment that values diversity and inclusion. These policies should clearly articulate the expectations for behavior, consequences for violations, and the commitment to fostering an inclusive environment. This way, your employees will have a clear idea of what constitutes microaggressions in the workplace, and will also be aware of the protections that the company offers them if microaggressions are used against them. 

Providing allyship and support to the marginalized

Fostering a sense of community within the company is an important step for both creating a harmonious and efficient work environment, as well as offering a way for marginalized groups to seek support from their colleagues. All employees should feel comfortable enough to both approach others for help and support others in the event of targeted microaggressions in the workplace. Developing this behavior in the workplace will both reduce the number of microaggressions in the workplace and will help employers hold perpetrators accountable for their actions. 

Facilitating difficult conversations

Apart from administration, the Human Resources department is the best place to turn to in the event of microaggressions in the workplace. Many believe that human resources, unfortunately, have a bad reputation for being uncaring or unsympathetic towards the plights of their fellow employees. In reality, this should never be the case; human resources should be trained to act on received complaints of microaggressions in the workplace. To facilitate this, anti-microaggression policies should be incorporated into employee handbooks and the company’s code of conduct to protect all employees and provide transparent and standard operating procedures should microaggression in the workplace ever be reported. 

Taking swift and decisive action

When thinking about how to handle microaggression in the workplace, two words should always come to mind: swift and decisive. When a report has been filed, it is best to act on it and follow through with the appropriate measures and inquiries. This ensures that your employees feel protected and prevents further microaggression displayed in the office by the same offender. 

Establishing employee resource groups

Employees should always be furnished with the appropriate resources and facilities to streamline their workflows in the office. Resource groups should be formed to provide support and information for those affected by microaggressions in the workplace. Having these groups in place helps to create a working environment where employees are cared for and their concerns are understood and addressed. 

Encouraging bystander intervention

Employees should be trained to intervene in any witnessed instance of microaggression in the workplace. This system of accountability is designed to discourage the offensive act from taking place in the first place, as would-be offenders are less likely to make inappropriate comments in the face of extreme social and peer criticism. If an intervention is necessary, this system of support has the added benefit of ensuring that follow-up measures are taken to address the situation in a manner that is in line with company anti-microaggression policies. 

Scheduling periodic cultural audits

Employers may also choose to perform periodic audits, or evaluations, of the departments within their company to ensure and keep track of the cultural sensitivity within day-to-day operations. These audits could be effective in identifying any unconscious bias or lack of inclusivity policies that harm or leave marginalized groups exposed to microaggressions in the workplace. 

Coming up with recognition programs for inclusive behaviors

A great way to motivate a workforce is to provide reinforcement incentives to reward exceptional performance. Employers could consider implementing a form of recognition program that rewards employees who go above and beyond to champion and execute more inclusive behavior in their daily life around the office. 

Microaggression in the workplace should always be addressed in a timely and efficient manner. If left unresolved, many repercussions may lead to a decrease in operational efficiency and lower morale in the office. Some negative of unresolved microaggression in the workplace include: 

Mental and emotional toll on employees

Employees should always feel as though they are working in a safe and protected environment. If microaggressions are left unresolved, employees are bound to feel uncomfortable working in an environment where their feelings and identities are at risk for insult and beratement. This takes a mental and emotional toll on employees, especially the victims, and can lead to an unproductive workforce and even lawsuits down the line. 

Decreased team morale and productivity

Building from the mental and emotional toll that unresolved microaggressions in the workplace can have, team morale and productivity are bound to be impacted as employees become more unwilling to engage in communication with their peers. This unwillingness may result from many things, but the most common would be a general reluctance to engage in conversation with others for fear of being insulted or falling victim of workplace microaggression. The overall working environment will be correspondingly hostile, which in turn damages the productivity of the workforce as a whole.

High employee turnover

A hostile and uninviting work environment stemming from microaggression in the workplace naturally breeds a place where employees will not want to work in. Unresolved incidents of microaggression show employees that administration is uncaring to the discrimination occurring in their company. Naturally, employees will begin leaving for companies where their mental and physical wellbeing are cared for. 

Microaggressions in the workplace are toxic and are rooted in deep-seated racism and sexism, and should be addressed as soon as they are brought to the attention of administration and human resources. While microaggressions in the workplace can take many forms, employees should always be provided the resources and information needed to support victims and report incidents when they arise. Admin and HR should work together to produce standard procedures and steps to investigate and resolve all reported incidents of microaggression in the workplace, so as to foster a working environment that is both protected and productive!.

If you are looking to improve your professional life, consider checking out other CakeResume articles! Our expansive archive of articles take deep dives into the inner workings of office life, and tips and tricks you can use to better yourself and your professional image in the workplace!

— Originally Written by Alexander Coye —