TiER1 Performance “Microaggressions are the everyday, subtle, intentional — and oftentimes unintentional — interactions or behaviors that communicate some sort of bias toward historically marginalized groups.”
– Dr. Kevin Nadal, Professor of Psychology, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Everyone has bias. We have bias towards all types of things based on our lived experiences, beliefs, family and social influences, and much more. It’s important to recognize not only that various types of bias exist, but also to understand what behaviors they influence and their impact on our ways of working. Bias leads to an act that can have harmful impacts on an individual and an organization’s sense of belonging: microaggressions. (See this video to learn more.)
Microaggressions are harmful acts against another, and they occur because of bias and stereotypes. It may be easy to state that you “meant well” or didn’t know or feel the comment or action was minor, but to the person on the receiving end, it’s major! Microaggressions most often happen to people most marginalized. Because these acts often happen against historically marginalized individuals, they may not want to exert the emotional labor to speak up and rock the boat for fear of being disregarded or labeled as “too sensitive.” Microaggressions are incredibly harmful because if people continue to disregard these behaviors, they can have a significant impact on an individual’s mental wellbeing, self-worth, and sense of belonging to the group or culture. In the workplace, this can lead to absenteeism, disengagement, isolation, productivity issues, trust issues, and even result in their leaving the organization.
Check out this article on recognizing and overcoming our biases, which provides examples and why they are hurtful. Below are a few call-outs for us to be even more aware of within our environment to honor diversity and inclusion and demonstrate equitable practices:
Reflect on microaggressions you may have experienced, witnessed, or become aware of recently. How can you rectify with more inclusive behaviors or influence others to be use more inclusive language?
Mispronouncing an individual’s name after you’ve been corrected multiple times. Many don’t seem to realize that the phrase “Your name is too difficult to say” is actually demonstrating oppressive behavior. One tip is to write down the phonetic spelling of someone’s name (if you don’t know, search YouTube or Google) and practice saying the name out loud. It takes seconds and makes a difference! If your colleague continues to pronounce someone’s name wrong, gently correct them by spelling out the phonetic pronunciation in the Teams chat or saying it.
Taking the “I’m color blind” route during race-related discussions. Phrases like “I don’t see color” or “We’re all one race, the human race,” implies that you don’t see the individual for their uniqueness, their identity, and their culture. This is oppressive and non-inclusive behavior that is actually a deflection. I recommend to instead get curious and vulnerable about what you may or may not know, and take the opportunity to learn or unlearn. If there is something you’re uncomfortable with, it’s OK to ask the question but more importantly use the tools available to you.
Only referring to the dominant group during a meeting. This will look different for every organization; it could be only the most tenured voices are heard, or the loudest. Take action to ensure all voices are heard.
Assuming that people are in heterosexual relationships. When we assume that someone has a spouse or partner of the opposite gender, we are showing our own blind spots. Don’t assume. If you don’t know someone’s pronouns or relationship status, use stated names without using gender.
Continuing to use terminology someone has shared is offensive. Comments such as “It’s too hard” or “I was raised that way” are not adequate justifications for not honoring the boundary your colleague has attempted to set. It’s important to ask how that language is offensive, so you can better understand and empathize then try on a new language as a positive habit. The goal is to create a new habit of language to be more inclusive.
Misgendering people based on how you assume they present. This can happen when we act based on assumptions or beliefs (such as, believing someone looks like a woman and referring to them in a group of other female-presenting people as “Hey ladies!”). Try on more inclusive language, such as “everyone / partners / friends / esteemed guests / beautiful humans.” Also, use someone’s name when referring to an individual during a conversation about them, instead of using pronouns, if you aren’t certain. Finally, state your pronouns when you introduce yourself, just as you would share your name and your title or role. For example, “Hi! My name is Victoria Rodgers, my pronouns are she & her, I’m the DE&I Strategy Director at TiER1 Performance, and I’m excited to be here!” Often when you lead by example, it gives others permission to do the same.
Explore your bias. Consider what’s implicit (unconscious) and explicit (the ones you are aware of consciously), and reflect on what you want or need to do with that bias.
Own the bias. It’s OK. Often when someone has barriers to owning their bias, it’s because they’re afraid that what they’ll learn will imply that they’re a bad person. This has nothing to do with good or bad. Bias exists – it’s our intention AND the impact of our actions that matter.
Understand impact versus intention. We can have the best intentions in the world, but our actions have a tremendous impact. We will have a greater impact when our intention to support others with love and compassion is combined with energy and positive action as a collective. Examine your language and be willing to learn, practice, and ask for forgiveness if you get it wrong. Learn, grow, and experience with others, together. Share what you’re doing to learn, grow, and support each other.
Reflect on the last time you really wanted to call someone in for something they said, but couldn’t because you weren’t sure how. How might you call them in next time?
Practice calling in or calling out for accountability. When someone says something that could be hurtful, oppressive, or exclusive, call them in. Calling someone in means to privately ask questions of clarity to help them self-discover the behavior and then educating them on why their comment is hurtful/exclusive. (Check out this article to learn more.) This method requires less energy and may feel less risky. You can also call someone out in public if there is a need to ensure people understand it’s important to align correcting behavior or comments. It drives accountability, but it will require energy and can be risky to relationships, and may lead to a deeper dialogue.
Look out for those who are marginalized. Remember: Everyone has bias. Microaggressions are harmful acts rooted in bias and stereotypes, and they happen most often happen to the people who are most marginalized. When microaggressions continue unchecked, they can have a significant impact on an individual’s mental wellbeing, self-worth, and sense of belonging to the group or culture.
I hope you have found this 10-minute read to be insightful, helpful, and crafted with love. Please share how this content resonates or supported your ability to be more inclusive by reaching out in the form below. I’d love to hear how your journey is going.
At TiER1, we are on an organizational journey to better center inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility in our values and company culture—we call it the IDEA journey. To realize our fullest potential, we believe it’s important that we play a part in dismantling systemic racism and creating equitable workforces. We also believe that dialogue is important, so we welcome you to connect with us in the form at the bottom of the page.