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Julia Makhubela, CEO of 54TwentyFour
Microaggressions are everyday slights. To put it another way, they’re death by a thousand cuts. What makes them pernicious is that they’re often unintentional and can be framed as compliments.
Imagine, for instance, that a young colleague is told she’s “really mature for her age.” It’s hard to argue that this is a well-meaning statement. But it reveals an acceptance of social norms and perpetuates the stereotype that young people are typically immature. Not only is this assumption overly simplistic, it’s also plainly flawed.
Such statements come from bias – the stories we tell ourselves about other groups of people.
What are examples of microaggressions?
Examples are wide-ranging – such as when a colleague is working with someone who has an African name, like Tshegofatso and they make no effort to learn how to pronounce it or spell it, so they propose the alternative: “T.” What does that say? It’s not a pronounced slight, but it’s a small cut that builds up over time.
Microaggressions can be intentional, but they have a rippling effect that trickles down to the group under the microscope.
Can microaggressions be non-verbal?
Yes, they can. Non-verbal microaggressions are everywhere we look, and they’re all borne of simple stigmas.
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How do microaggressions exist in the workplace?
Unfettered microaggressions lead to discontent and, eventually, staff turnover. Yet microaggressions are difficult to report. Many people feel they can’t speak up. They don’t want to appear sensitive, even if their sensitives are being tested.
What organisations can do is check for patterns. Is a particular manager losing staff on a regular basis? Because victims of microaggressions will leave en masse, that is a constant. Going forward, companies need to address the issue of bias head-on. No organisation can grow without teaching people the skills to work in diverse teams. Microaggressions only serve to hold people back and reduce performance.
Teams need a framework where they can have these discussions openly, where they give each other feedback and act on the information with fully-informed self-awareness. You see, self-awareness is key. Understanding people different from you is predicated on the idea that you’re dedicated to lifelong learning. There’s no such thing as a quick fix. You need to operate consciously throughout your lifetime to be sensitive and considered.
Attending the FOHR Conference? Here’s the programme:
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