Microaggressions in our daily workplace encounters: a barrier to achieving diversity and inclusion.

Abstract

Originally coined in 1970 by Dr. Chester Pierce, the term "microaggression" encompasses any subtle insult or informal degradation of a member of any socially marginalized group. While incidents of blatant racism and sexism might be deterred by zero-tolerance policies in the workforce, microaggressions still plague our daily interactions with colleagues and patients alike. In this paper we define and categorize microaggressions using real-world examples, describe their repercussions and provide ways to appropriately respond to microaggressions on a personal and institutional level.