Microaggressions are subtle, often unintentional, comments or actions that can be upsetting or discriminatory towards a marginalised group. They can often be described as bullying and/or harassment however, the difference is that bullying and harassment can be more obvious and intentional.
Microaggressions can be verbal, non-verbal, or environmental and often reflect underlying biases or stereotypes. Examples include:
- Verbal: Comments like "You speak English so well!" to someone who is not a native speaker, implying surprise at their proficiency.
- Non-verbal: Avoiding eye contact or physical distance from someone based on their race or ethnicity.
- Environmental: Lack of representation in media, such as not seeing people of certain races or genders in leadership roles.
These actions, though seemingly minor, can accumulate over time and contribute to a hostile or unwelcoming environment for those affected.
If you feel comfortable, you could speak to the person at the time or after it has taken place. You could clarify what they meant by the behaviour and explain the impact, asking them not to do it again.
• The very important point is that you shouldn’t have been put in the situation in the first place. If you don’t feel comfortable or don’t want to discuss with them you could seek support from a trusted colleague, staff networks, line manager and/or refer to our Speak Up Stand Up webpages for further advice and guidance.
• We have identified a useful LinkedIn Learning resource which provides information, tools, and techniques to encourage staff to challenge all forms of unacceptable behaviour including microaggressions.