Have you heard people say, “I am not a racist/sexist/homophobic, but…” and then go ahead and say the exact kind of thing that makes them seem problematic? If you are a minority who has to go through this on a daily basis, you are not alone.
In this article, we will look at what are micro-aggressions, how they affect people in the workplace, how to identify them and how to respond to them.
What are micro-aggressions?
In a 2022 survey of the tech industry, 24% of professionals reported racial discrimination, and 26% reported gender discrimination in the workplace, which was notably higher than the percentages of the previous year- 18% and 21% respectively.
These alarming statistics beg the question, where are we headed? Why are we struggling with inclusivity in the workplace? For all we know, in theory, most people believe in equal treatment, and don’t promote discrimination against minorities.
The reason minorities are still facing problems, is because racism and sexism never disappeared, they just exist in subtler forms. Few people openly criticize minorities, instead they say things that intentionally (or unintentionally!) sound offensive and insulting to people from minority communities.
These insensitive questions, assumptions, and stereotypes are called micro-aggressions. They are ‘micro’ because they are subtle, implicit, you really have t read between the lines to identify them. They are ‘aggressions’ because they are just another way of showing your ignorance about people who are different than you, and holding on to stereotypes that may no longer be true.
How microaggressions affect people in the workplace
Flawed view of microaggressions
Some people believe that micro-aggressions just harmless remarks coming from ignorance, and people shouldn’t be reprimanded. In fact, there is a popular narrative that people only find it offensive because today’s society is “hypersensitive” and can’t handle humor.
Impact on physical and mental health
Contrary to popular belief, microaggressions have significant impact on the physical and mental health of employees who are at the receiving end. Nadal and colleagues (2020) found that micro-aggressions are significantly correlated with poor health in the form of pain and fatigue. Torres and colleagues (2011) found that microaggressions that undermine someone’s personal ability result in greater stress and depressive symptoms over a period of one year.
How to recognize micro-aggressions in the workplace?
Stereotyping
People who are racial minorities often hear statements like “You are not like other Asian people I know”, meaning to say that all Asian people fit a cookie-cutter stereotype. Sometimes people assume things about someone’s preferences, e.g., “You are Indian, so you don’t eat beef, right?” This statement could be true, because some Indians don’t eat beef for religious reasons. But the mistake is applying it to all Indians universally and being unreasonably confident about it.
Complimenting based on stereotypes
Sometimes it sounds like a compliment, e.g., “That’s not too bad for a woman”, but underneath is a faulty assumption that women, in general, are less capable. Sometimes, a woman’s concerns are dismissed as “being too sensitive” or “overly emotional”.
In fact, some people go so far as to ask, “What’s gotten into you today? Are you PMS-ing?”, indicating that women should not be taken seriously because their judgment is clouded by their emotions and hormonal changes.
Problematic compliments are also experienced by people who come from a financially disadvantaged background. Somone might say, “You speak so professionally, no one would know you grew up poor”, implying that people who grow up poor don’t have professional skills.
Minimizing experiences of distress
Often, people compare their struggles to those of minorities. This is problematic because minorities face certain problems solely due to their minority status, and a person from the majority usually can’t relate to that. For example, a person who identifies as gay hears their colleague say, “Your parents won’t accept your partner? I understand, even my mom doesn’t like my boyfriend, it’s so annoying”
What happened here is, the struggles that come with being a sexual minority- both on the personal and social level- were compared to an individual experience of a parent not liking one’s boyfriend for completely different reasons.
Microaggressions in spoken language
There are some commonly used adjectives, phrases and terms in the English language, that confirm already existing stereotypes about certain groups of people. For example, when someone says, “Man up” or “Tell them who wears the pants in the family”, they are actually asking the person to be assertive, decisive, and exercise leadership. These terms imply that qualities of strength and competence depend on gender.
Casual use of these terms is rampant when it comes to mental health disorders. People often say things like “I am a bit OCD” (I like things organized and perfect), or “She looks bipolar” (She seems to have frequently changing moods).
While the behaviors being described are related to those respective psychological disorders, the actual experience of a person with those disorders is very different. By using these terms casually in the workplace, people end up minimizing the pain, stigma, and struggle that comes with an actual medical diagnosis.
How to respond to micro-aggressions?
Deciding the right time to have a conversation
When you recognize a microaggression in the workplace, sometimes it is possible to say something in the moment, e.g., “Come on now, that’s not funny” At other times, you may want to say much more than that. So you can create a safe space by saying, “I am sure you didn’t mean any harm when you said… , but it sounds disrespectful because… “
Are you the right person to educate?
Sometimes we want to speak up on behalf of other people who might find some statements offensive. It’s always good to stand up for your coworkers, but at times we end up spreading misinformation. Unless you know the topic very well, educate yourself well before confront them.
Level of comfort with the person
If you are close to the person, e.g., you work on the same team or at the same level, you can have a frank conversation with them. But with unfamiliar people, you never know how the conversation will go.
If they tend to pick fights or hold grudges, it’s important to think about the implications of that conversation for you, especially if the person is a superior. As sad as it sounds, we have only so much power when it comes to the corporate hierarchy.
If you or someone you know has been on the receiving end of microaggressions, we hope this article helped you identify them in your workplace, and understand how to respond to them. Such proactive feedback from you is important in making your workplace an inclusive space for everyone who works, and will work there.
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