Microaggressions in the Workplace: What to Know and Tips for Responding

Updated August 25, 2023

Reading time 9 min

Author: Dr. Dawn Ferrara

PsyD, Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), and mental health writer

Two colleagues exhibit microaggressions in the workplace toward another colleague

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In this article

Reading Time: 9 minutes

It’s no secret that workplace culture and expectations have changed dramatically in recent years. Cultural diversity and equality, inclusiveness, and healthy working environments have come to the forefront.

Along with those goals have come new ways of creating relationships and new standards and ways of thinking about interactions.

One aspect of interaction that has gained attention is that of microaggression. While it’s not a new concept, it has gained attention as the focus on cultural diversity and equality has grown.

While aggression has long been deemed inappropriate for the workplace, the term “microaggression” leaves many wondering what it actually means and what it means for the workplace.

What are microaggressions?

Microaggression is a term that was first coined in the 1970s by Harvard professor Chester Pierce to describe the common, everyday slights and indirect, subtle discriminations that Black people experienced from their White counterparts. [1]

Over time, as the focus on diversity and equality has grown, the concept of microaggression has expanded.

Today, microaggressions are more broadly defined as common, often quite subtle, verbal and non-verbal behaviors such as slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or not, that send negative messages to and can create a hostile or negative environment for people in any disenfranchised group. [2]

The actions are based solely upon a person’s membership in that group. Those groups include (but may not be limited to):

Women
Members of BIPOC communities
Religious minorities
People with disabilities
Members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community

Microaggressions are thought to be born from unconsciously held beliefs, biases, and prejudices demonstrated through daily interactions.

However, being unaware does not make these types of communication any less hurtful to others. These interactions can seem harmless, they are a form of discrimination. And they happen more often than you might think.

Statistics on microaggressions in the workplace

Because they can be so subtle, common microaggressions in the workplace may go unnoticed.

Increasing awareness has prompted researchers to take a closer look. Their findings suggest that microaggressions in the workplace are common and problematic:

26% of American workers have experienced microaggressions at work. Another 22% aren’t sure. [3]
36% of American workers have witnessed microaggressions at work. Another 24% aren’t sure. [3]
64% of women report having experienced gender-based microaggressions at work. [4]
24% of persons of color and members of ethnic minorities report having experienced microaggressions in the workplace, with Black workers reporting some of the highest rates. [5]
About one-third of LGBTQIA2S+ employees report having experienced microaggressions, with bisexual and transgender persons the most likely to report experiencing microaggressions at work. [6]

Statistics on microaggressions in the workplace

Effects of workplace microaggressions

While these subtle acts may seem trivial to the recipient, the effects can be quite impactful.

Physical and emotional effects

Dealing with microaggressions over time has been down to having profound and cumulative effects on one’s physical and emotional well-being. [7]

Some of those effects include:

Poor sleep
Increased blood pressure
Unhealthy coping (e.g., smoking, drinking, overeating)
Depression
Psychological distress
Anxiety
Decreased sense of well-being

Studies have found that people who experience microaggressions and discrimination more often have a higher risk of depression and suicidality. [8]

Workplace effects

More specifically to the workplace, microaggressions can have a negative impact on the person as well as the entire workplace environment.

Studies [9] have shown that over time, these subtle slights can lead to:

Decreased job performance
Dissatisfaction
Disengagement
Turnover as people leave non-supportive workplaces

Over time, this environment takes a toll on an employee’s sense of psychological safety and well-being.

Types of microaggressions in the workplace

Microaggressions are generally described as one of three types of behavior [10] toward someone:

Microassaults – These behaviors are explicit, deliberate, and intentional insults or slights meant to hurt the other person. An example of microassaults might be name-calling or using slurs, moving seats if a person sits next to you, or jokes about a particular racial or ethnic group.

Microinsults – The most common and the most harmful type of microaggression, these behaviors most often take the form of rude or insensitive comments that disrespect or demean a person’s racial heritage or identity. Examples of microinsults include assuming someone can’t achieve a goal because English is not their first language, or an able-bodied person speaking to a person in a wheelchair as if they are a child or ignoring them completely and addressing their care companion.

Microinvalidation – These actions discredit or minimize a person’s thoughts, feelings, or experiential reality of being part of a particular group. In other words, these actions send the message to the person that their experiences aren’t real or valid. The recipient may be left feeling, “Is it my fault?” or “Am I overreacting?” When someone says, “I don’t see color,” thus minimizing a person’s identity or asking a person of color where they “come from,” implying they are “foreign” or don’t belong, are examples of microinvalidation.

Interestingly, microaggressions can be embedded within the work environment, too. Some examples might include:

A business with few women or people of color in leadership roles
A campus with buildings or other areas all named after white males
A library that doesn’t reflect the diversity of its patrons

Examples of microaggressions in the workplace

Recognizing microaggressions is no easy task. They are subtle and can show up in many settings and many ways, seemingly innocuous but nonetheless harmful.

On the surface, they can sometimes sound like benign conversation, but the meaning can run much deeper.

Microaggressions target members of marginalized groups. Racial/ethnic and gender microaggressions are among the most frequently reported.

Here are some examples of common microaggressions in the workplace and why they are considered microaggressions.

Examples of microaggressions in the workplace

Racially/ethnically focused

“You have such an exotic look. You can’t be from here.”

Why is this a microaggression?

While it’s not wrong to be genuinely interested in someone’s ethnicity and experience, this is not the way to ask someone about their heritage.

Speaking to someone in this way objectifies them and sends the message that they are outside the norm, essentially that their racial or ethnic identity makes them “exotic” or out of place.