Just 3% of Black professionals report feeling ready to return to in-person work as compared to 21% of their white peers. One reason is that remote work has buffered them from microaggressions: intentional or unintentional behaviors that communicate negative racial slights and insults toward people of color.
Research: The Real-Time Impact of Microaggressions
A study illustrates how they harm both individuals and teams.
May 17, 2022
Thomas Barwick/Getty Images
Summary.
While many leaders have ramped up efforts to make their organizations equitable for members of marginalized groups, evidence shows that Black employees continue to experience disrespect in the workplace. Since Black professionals face a bind in dealing with racialized comments, organizations need to take responsibility for preventing microaggressions and relieving their Black employees of the emotional labor that comes with them. The author’s experiment shows that the ways Black workers respond to competency microaggressions are complex and not only hurt the recipient, but also how they interact in teams.