Many workplaces are offering an education on antiracism. Part of that learning involves understanding microaggressions. You’ve had the definition:

Microaggression are insults and subtle slights that convey a hidden message to ethnic minorities that they are not welcome, not seen and not able to perform well.  

Here are 10 examples of microaggressions to help your understanding.

1. Having low expectations. Your black colleague has mentioned her daughter recently lost her job and is seeking work. Wanting to help, you tell her Catering has a few positions coming up for kitchen staff. Your colleague politely responds, “Thank you but that’s not the type of role she is looking for, she’s a trained psychologist”. She walks away looking annoyed. This is a microaggression because you assumed that her daughter would be looking for an entry level job. This is in line with the popular stereotype that black people are uneducated and generally work in entry level positions.

2. Exclusion. You are arranging an after work meet up on Friday on WhatsApp. However, you do not include Imran as you assume he will not want to come along, as he is Muslim and doesn’t drink. He is completely unaware he has been excluded. The metacommunication is that he is not welcome.

 3. The colour-blind approach. The statement, “I don’t see skin colour”. is extremely common. It is often used to suggest that the white person is being fair and treats everyone the same. By not seeing someone’s race, you also do not see all the problems they have associated with racism. This could happen when an Indian supervisor complains to her administrator that he is not doing as many tasks for her as he is for other colleagues. The administrator shockingly states ‘I don’t see race! I can’t believe you would say that!” This is gaslighting, which is denying a person’s reality. This causes confusion and leads the ethnic minority doubting what happened and it invalidates their experience. What he is really saying is, “Shut down a whole part of who you are as I don’t want to talk about race. It makes me feel uncomfortable and my feelings are more important than yours.” It is an invalidation of a person’s feelings and a type of emotional abuse.

4. Not shaking someone’s hands. This can be based on the common misconception that black and brown people are unclean.

5. Ignoring ethnic minorities at break times. 

6. Taking the ideas of ethnic minorities, not giving them credit and claiming them as your own, especially when they are in a junior position.

7. Not seeing difference. Being mistaken for someone else who is brown in the workplace. A colleague may keep referring to Ola as Yinka or Ibrahim as Abdul. This is based on the unconscious bias known as homogenous discrimination. It is the assumption that all people in the out-group share similarities.

8. Asking someone “Where are you from originally?” or saying, “You speak really good English.” These comments tell the person you see them as different to the ‘norm’ meaning you notice they are not white, and you feel the need to ask them questions about that. This is also called ‘othering’.

9. Speaking over and interrupting a colleague in meetings. This communicates that you do not wish for this person’s voice to be heard. This is very common for ethnic minority women who face double-discrimination based on being a woman and black.

 10. Touching a black woman's hair. After complimenting her, asking a black woman if you can touch her hair. This is a form of exoticisation. Which is objectifying someone as exotic and not seeing their human qualities. It is an invasion of personal space and should never be asked or attempted.