the halo effect vs. DEI vs. Microaggressions

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Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging
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Microaggressions

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[Open on 3 individuals from marginalized identities sitting down for lunch at a long table in the cafeteria.] 

Narrator: Microaggressions are one of the most common actions that can harm people and their work environment. But what are they? 

[As the characters begin to eat, they’re disturbed by multiple speech bubbles that begin to pop up around them. The speech bubbles are making the characters uncomfortable and overwhelm them.] 

Narrator: Interpersonal microaggressions are demeaning and disrespectful words, comments, or behaviors based on an element of someone's identity. Examples of environmental microaggressions include images or inaccessible spaces.

[The characters pop up amidst the speech bubbles that have overwhelmed the scene and begin to try and clear them away to make space for themselves.]

Narrator: Microaggressions may happen intentionally or unintentionally, but regardless of intent, they communicate to the recipient—and others who witness it—that they do not belong or are not respected. 

[Exhausted, the characters return to their meals. They are visually drained and downtrodden.] 

Narrator: But studies have shown that microaggressions can hurt our physical and mental health. 

[Symbols of a brain, a clock, and a heart appear above them. The speech bubbles slowly begin to return and continue to disturb them all.]

Narrator: They can also contribute to racial battle fatigue, a set of symptoms like depression, anxiety, and high blood pressure that can be caused by the stress of experiencing ongoing race-based aggressions.

[Two coworkers walk up with their lunch trays and notice the overwhelming amount of speech bubbles that are burying the original three characters.]

Narrator: Increasing our awareness about microaggressions, actively working to prevent them, and practicing self-care if we experience them, are all ways we can help everyone feel respected and included at work.

[The two coworkers sit down with the original characters and speak with them. As they do so, the harmful speech bubbles begin to disappear.] 

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Microaggressions

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Addressing Microaggressions

You’ve reviewed some examples of microaggressions and the impact these statements or behaviors have on people, so let’s explore strategies you can use to address them.
Select each tab to learn more.

Direct

Distract

Delegate

Delay

Delegate

Sometimes, it is best to have someone else get involved. You can delegate by talking to someone else who can help address the situation. This should be someone you trust, and could include the leader of the group or your supervisor. This may be a good option if you feel uncomfortable or unsafe, or if you’re unsure how to address the situation.

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Distract

A more subtle approach is to distract: interrupt or de-escalate the interaction by changing the subject or refocusing attention elsewhere. This option can be effective when you don’t know the individuals involved or are worried that directly addressing the behavior may make the situation worse for the person being targeted.

** Begin your presentation and say to the group, “I am going to ask for your full attention now as we get started! Julie, can you please take notes for the first portion of the meeting?”

Distracting from a microaggression is sometimes the right tactic. In this situation, while Julie has already acted, you can prevent her from continuing while also not drawing further attention to Madison. Consider how to revisit this issue with Madison later to learn how else you can support her. Also, consider how to raise Julie’s awareness about the impact of her actions.

** After the meeting, ask Madison privately, “Are you OK? I saw how Julie invaded your personal space. That was inappropriate.”

Checking in on Madison after the meeting shows that you care and support her, and also acknowledges the likely impact of Julie’s microaggression. Consider that this strategy can be used on its own, such as when acting in the moment doesn’t seem right, or it can be used along with some of the other strategies.

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You look at your manager who is sitting next to you with concern and whisper, “Wow, that was uncomfortable—and I think Madison is also uncomfortable. What should we do?”

Getting someone else involved is a good option if you feel uncomfortable or unsure of how to address the situation on your own. If you’re uncomfortable, it's likely that others are, too.

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Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging
New page Recovering from Microagressions
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Recovering from Microaggressions

If you’ve been the target of a microaggression, you may want to respond in the moment, or you may want to take some time and think about what—if anything—you wish to do next. Here are a few tactics for you to consider.
Select a topic to learn more.

Affirm Your Feelings

Affirm Your Feelings

Affirm Your Feelings
Whether you feel sad, humiliated, uncertain, or angry, acknowledge and accept your emotional response to what happened and explore why you feel this way. Use this awareness to guide any next steps you may choose to take.
Directly Respond

Directly Respond

Directly Respond
If you feel comfortable, you can address the microaggression in the moment. One possible tactic is to identify the comment or action, and describe its impact on you. So you might say, “When you said that, I heard…” or “When you did that, I felt…”
Take Some Time

Take Some Time

Take Some Time
Another option is to address the situation later. You may prefer to take some time to think about and practice what you want to say, or find a time when you can speak to the person in private. You may decide that you don’t want to respond to the person at all—whatever feels right to you.
Seek Support

Seek Support

Seek Support
Talk with empathetic colleagues or friends whose perspective you trust. They can validate your emotions and support you as you reflect on the experience.
Practice Self-Care

Practice Self-Care

Practice Self-Care
Try self-care techniques such as meditation, physical exercise, rest, or other practices that help restore your well-being. Taking pauses from social media, practicing grounding exercises, and seeking out trauma-informed care can be helpful in addressing issues like racial battle fatigue. Explore any employee assistance program benefits that would be helpful for you.

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Repairing the Harm from Microaggressions

What if you are the person who commits a microaggression? Most people want to make things right if they’ve offended a colleague, but sometimes are not sure what to do.
Select a topic to learn more.

Pick the right time to talk and listen

Make sure you’re ready to offer a sincere apology by reflecting on whether you accept that someone experienced harm, and that you had a role in it. Approach them privately and express that you’d like to apologize. Ask if they’re willing to discuss it with you, and accept their answer if they’re not. If they are, listen to how they feel and avoid becoming defensive; use active listening skills.

Apologize

An effective apology is focused on the person who was harmed. Acknowledge what happened and take accountability for your actions.
Avoid saying something like, “I’m sorry you were offended”. This avoids taking personal responsibility for the impact of your words or actions. Try something like, “I said something I thought was funny, but I know now that it was disrespectful to you.” While they may choose to accept your apology and forgive you, you should not expect them to do so.

1. Repair & Learn

   Resolve to be more intentional next time and seek to repair the harm. Identify what you can learn from the experience, and share with them how you’re going to do better if appropriate. One example may be: “Thank you for sharing more of your experience. I understand better now why what I said upset you. I’d like to make this right, if I can. What might be helpful for you?”

   If you feel too many negative emotions to learn from the experience, like overwhelming guilt or shame, then reach out to a mentor, a professional or confidential employee assistance program, or someone in your community for support to build your own resilience.

    

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The Helo effect: 

What is helo effect? examples?
ChatGPT

The "halo effect" is a cognitive bias that occurs when our overall impression of a person influences our perceptions of their specific traits or abilities. It is a form of cognitive bias where positive impressions of a person in one area lead to positive assumptions or evaluations in other areas, regardless of whether those assumptions or evaluations are justified.

Here are a few examples to illustrate the halo effect:

1) Physical attractiveness: If someone is perceived as physically attractive, they are often attributed with positive qualities such as intelligence, kindness, and competence, even without direct evidence supporting these assumptions.

2) Professional success: Individuals who have achieved notable success in a specific field, such as business or sports, may be seen as competent in unrelated areas, leading others to assume they possess a range of positive qualities beyond their expertise.

3) Stereotyping: When we have preconceived notions about a certain group of people, the halo effect can cause us to generalize positive or negative traits to all individuals within that group based on limited information or observations.

4) First impressions: Our initial impression of a person can heavily influence our perception of them in subsequent encounters. If we form a positive first impression, we may give that person the benefit of the doubt and interpret their actions in a more favorable light.

5) Celebrity endorsements: Advertisers often leverage the halo effect by using popular celebrities to endorse their products. The positive associations people have with the celebrity's image are transferred to the product, increasing its perceived value.

It's important to be aware of the halo effect because it can lead to biased judgments and evaluations. By recognizing this bias, we can strive to make more objective assessments of individuals and situations, relying on evidence and multiple sources of information rather than solely relying on initial impressions or superficial characteristics.

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