Most of us have experienced the embarrassment of a casual remark that inadvertently hurt another person’s feelings. Maybe it was a joke that fell flat or a comment about someone’s appearance. Or perhaps you’ve been on the receiving end of one of these sl
Most of us have experienced the embarrassment of a casual remark that inadvertently hurt another person’s feelings. Maybe it was a joke that fell flat or a comment about someone’s appearance. Or perhaps you’ve been on the receiving end of one of these slights. More than petty annoyances, over time these microaggressions can damage relationships, poison workplace culture, and sabotage employee retention.
More than a quarter of Americans have experienced a microaggression at work, and 36% have witnessed one, according to a survey of more than 4,000 individuals conducted by SurveyMonkey in partnership with Fortune. 70% of respondents said they would be upset by experiencing or witnessing a microaggression, with 35% reporting they would consider leaving their job. Additional research is needed to determine the prevalence of microaggressions across demographic groups, but initial findings suggest that Black young adults disproportionately experience microaggressions. With the widespread prevalence of microaggressions and the impact on workplace retention, it’s important to understand what exactly microaggressions are, how to identify them, and how to prevent their harmful effects.
According to Forbes, microaggressions are defined as “brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, and environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial, gender, sexual orientation, and religious slights and insults to the target person or group.” This definition should be expanded to include indignities based on any dimension of diversity, adding ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age, disability, neurodiversity, and more in the mix. Microaggressions can be considered slights against any aspect of a person’s identity.
But what does a microaggression actually look like? Below you’ll find just a few of the most common examples based on different forms of identity.
- “Where are you really from?”
- “Your English is so good!”
- “Is your hair real?” Or, “Can I touch your hair?” Or touching someone’s hair without permission.
- “You don’t act/sound Black.”
- “Are you a U.S. citizen?”
- “Go 