You’re in a meeting, sharing what you feel are excellent ideas with the team. However, to your left, you notice a co-worker rolling her eyes and another blowing his breath.
Or maybe you’re at a company party and are engaged in a conversation that turns south when a colleague says, “I know you’re [insert race], so you likely don’t like [insert action].”
Instances like these are called microaggressions and happen daily in workplaces across America. A study by SurveyMonkey shows only 40% of American workers state they haven’t experienced microaggressions at work — which means that the majority of American workers have.
Ignoring this issue could lead to a negative work environment and increased turnover.
Microaggressions in the workplace are subtle, often unintentional acts or comments that discriminate against individuals or groups based on their characteristics (e.g., gender, race, lifestyle). These acts or comments are derogatory or negative and can create a hostile or unwelcoming work environment.
Examples include making assumptions about someone’s abilities, using stereotypes to make judgments, dismissing or invalidating someone’s experiences or perspectives, or making comments that belittle or marginalize certain groups.
Allowing microaggressions to persist in your business can lead to various problems, such as:
Looking for microaggressions in the workplace isn’t always straightforward. They’re subtle and can appear in various scenarios.
So here’s a look at how microaggressions may appear in a work environment:
When these issues appear in your business, it’s vital to immediately nip it in the bud. Let’s review some of the strategies you can use to eliminate microaggressions in your workplace.
The first step to dealing with microaggressions in the workplace is to identify if, where, and how they exist. Since this is a touchy topic, it’s best to run an anonymous survey to collect employee feedback.
Use a mix of multiple-choice and open-ended questions to get a good understanding of what employees think. For example, you can include questions like:
After you gather feedback from your workers, it’s time to draft new policies to address the issue. Your policy book should include things like:
This is a partial list of what should be in your new policy book. You can add more based on your organization’s needs.
Your team managers are on the front lines, working directly with your employees. Odds are, they’re more likely to see microaggressions. Train them to identify these subtle behaviors and what to do to stop them.
For instance, if the behavior continues, it could begin with a warning, then escalate to a suspension without pay and firing.
Your managers can also host one-on-ones with team members for feedback to ensure they’re detecting and eliminating “microaggressive” behaviors.
Turnover is an issue when workplaces leave microaggressions unchecked. To prevent workers from leaving after these unfortunate incidents, you can offer support and resources.
For example, you can offer mental health counseling to employees who are feeling emotionally drained after a traumatic event. Or you can offer employee assistance programs to help workers deal with the impact of these situations.
If the situation is dire, then allowing paid time off to recover is a great way to show support. This grants employees time to reflect on the event and come back refreshed.
Just be sure to carry out the consequences outlined in your new policy book.
Whenever a new microaggression incident is reported, document it. You can make this public, to show the company’s commitment to tracking and dealing with microaggressions.
The purpose of documenting microaggressions is to protect employees from future incidents. If you have a two-strike or three-strike rule, this will determine when it’s time to act against an offending worker.
Be sure to include dates, times, and details of what was said and done. This will act as your evidence in case the worker claims they did nothing wrong in the past.
No need to beat around the bush with an employee showing microaggressive behavior. Bring the individual(s) to your office and explain the problem directly. Let them know what they did is wrong, why it’s wrong, and the consequences if they continue.
The conversation should be cool, calm, and collected, so it doesn’t build more hostility.
Ask the worker if they have any questions to ensure they understand. Consider enrolling them in a training program if you have one available.
Reverse mentorship is a great way to help first-time offenders learn more about their improper behavior. An example of this is when you have someone older teach the younger (or vice versa). In this scenario, the mentor can be the person they offended, or someone you know can educate about the issue and how to resolve it — preferably someone who’s similar to the one the culprit offended (age, gender, race, etc.).
Don’t just expect workers to know what to do to prevent microaggressions in the workplace. Here’s a quick overview of what that process may look like:
It’s an ongoing process that requires learning, understanding, and implementation.
So, continue to learn about microaggressions and how they evolve over time. Find new training and resources to guide workers in overcoming and preventing these issues when they arise. In time, you’ll find your business becomes a happy and healthy place to work.