Info Series 1: Microaggressions

This post and the rest of the series, were first published and intended for internal use at Stepstone during a spotlight on one of our company values: We Radically Include. It is republished here.

Content note: this post primarily focuses on racial, ethnic, faith-based and gender-identity microaggressions, although many other forms of microaggressions exist.

What is a microaggression?

A microaggression is a statement, an action, or an incident regarded most often as indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group such as a racial or ethnic minority.

It usually undermines and belittles people from minoritized groups — and often is based on stereotypes and stigmatization.

Oftentimes, people making the actions are unaware of the impact of their words. Psychologists often compare them to a “death by a thousand cuts”. As this video aptly explains, microaggressions are like mosquito bites:

YouTube video: How microaggressions are like mosquito bites by Fusion

What can a microaggression look like?

The list could go on, but typical remarks such as the ones here can bite:

• ‘Where are you really from?’
• ‘You speak English so well!’
• ‘Your name is really hard to pronounce.’
• ‘You’re so articulate.’
• Misgendering a colleague
• ‘Oh, you drink alcohol?’
• Being unusually ID’d or have a bag search when entering a building

More specifically, researchers have identified three forms of microaggressions:

• Microassault: explicit and conscious comment, action or behaviour, such as name-calling or refusing to take part in an activity with people from a different ethnic group, nationality or faith.
• Microinsult: rude and insensitive comments, such as asking a colleague from an underrepresented group how they got their job implying they are a token hire.
• Microinvalidation: excluding, belittling or invalidating someone’s experience, thoughts and feelings. An example would be being told that racism doesn’t exist.

What to do when a microaggression occurs?

As reported on the New York Times in 2020, Dr Kevin Nadal (professor of psychology at John Jay College) developed a tool kit called the Guide to Responding to Microaggressions.

It lists five questions to ask yourself when weighing the consequences of responding to a microaggression.

If I respond, could my physical safety be in danger?

If I respond, will the person become defensive, and will this lead to an argument?

If I respond, how will this affect my relationship with this person (e.g., co-worker, family member, etc.)

If I don’t respond, will I regret not saying something?

If I don’t respond, does that convey that I accept the behaviour or statement?

Depending on who you are in that situation, your response also might differ…

You witness or experience a microaggression

Here, your response will depend on the situation, the people involved and the overall context. Diversity consultants and specialists recommend to prepare yourself to use statements and prompts. They will help you seek clarification on the microaggression that occured, and should help educate about the impact without putting people off.

You can find such a resource here: Responding to microaggressions and bias

You make a microaggression

We’ve all been there — but we can all learn to be and act better.

First of all, don’t be defensive if you’re called out. It’s understandable you could be surprised and feeling shameful. But if you don’t mean to be offending, then use this as a painful yet necessary learning opportunity.

Despite what could have been well intended from you, pain was caused so:

• Listen to that feedback you’re given
• Acknowledge the impact and feelings
• Apologise

You can ask questions about what you did and people’s experiences, but you can’t demand that they educate you. They can explain it to you but they can’t understand it for you.

• Educate yourself and step up

Become an ally by learning from your mistakes and put them behind you. Show up for others and underrepresented groups around you, while advocating for them and for change.

Who can I talk to about microaggression?

If you experience a microaggression, you can speak to an ally, your manager or reach out to your HR Business Partner for support.

In some situations, as mentioned above, you may feel comfortable enough to speak to the person that made the microaggression. Hopefully, you’ll find them blissfully unaware of any harm that they have caused, ready to apologise and willing to learn.

If things are more complicated and you have concerns about safety and conduct, do speak to HR or your manager.

Resources for further information:

The Harvard Business Review article, When and How to Respond to Microaggressions, offers practical advice on how you can respond to a racial microaggression.

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