The Law and the Little Things Microaggressions in the workplace

Most organisations today recognise the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion within their workplaces, in particular, how to build an inclusive culture.  However, organisations need to go beyond warm words to deliver on commitments in practice.

This webinar series addressed subtle aspects of discrimination in the workplace in the form of microaggressions. It brought these issues to life and helped leaders develop their awareness and understanding of the impact of behaviours that many write off as too trivial to mention; the little things that just happen. Though “little” in name, these occurrences can become large by nature, and businesses must be aware of the deep and often devastating impact of ignoring them.

In each monthly 45-minute session, a diverse panel of speakers focussed on an area where microaggressions are prevalent and discussed:

• the historical and cultural context for specific microaggressions;
• real-life experience and impact of microaggressions;
• how the law addresses them (or doesn’t as the case may be);
• what steps organisations can take from a policy and good practice perspective to tackle the issue.

Past Series:

Hair we go again... 
Understanding hair discrimination
In this session we looked at the treatment experienced by many individuals (specifically women) with afro hair.

This session has already taken place and is now available to watch on-demand. 

“Don’t Sweat It”
Microaggressions toward menopause
By looking at microaggressions commonly exhibited towards women in connection with menopause, we consider whether employers should do more and why.

This session has already taken place and is now available to watch on-demand.

A touch of class
Social mobility: the impact of microaggression on the workplace - why care?
Microaggressions in this area are often the most innocuous on the face of it. This session examines every-day behaviours which operate to exclude people based on their social profile.

This session has already taken place and is now available to watch on-demand.

Keep the faith
Calling out subtle and not-so-subtle islamophobia in the workplace.
In this session we discuss microaggressions in the context of islamophobia, particularly drawing on unfortunate lived experience.

This session has already taken place and is now available to watch on-demand.

Pushy Little Things
Microaggressions toward females in positions of power in the business context.
We explore some of the more common microaggressions in this space, with a focus on importance of appearance, differing perceptions of strong women (feisty) vs strong men (leaders) and assumptions about career aspirations.

This session has already taken place and is now available to watch on-demand.

The Genderbread Person: a bitesize discussion
Covert discrimination or otherization of people in the LGBTQ+ community.
In the final session of this series, we look at microaggressions experienced by people in the LGBTQ+ community.

This session has already taken place and is now available to watch on-demand.