Dismantling Microaggressions in the Workplace with Sarah Morgan
b'Sarah Morgan is the Founder and Chief Excellence Officer of BuzzARooney, LLC and the Corporate Director of Human Resources at Rosewood Family of Companies. She joins Steve Pemberton to discuss microaggressions and a leader\\u2019s and bystander\\u2019s role in dismantling them.\\xa0\\n\\nThey Foster Discrimination\\nMicroaggressions are the foundation for bullying, harassment and discrimination in the workplace. These major issues normally start off as offhand jokes or comments about someone\\u2019s appearance that go unaddressed, which incites the aggressor to become emboldened until it snowballs into a larger problem. An important thing to note however, Sarah says, is that they are often unintentional, and that contributes to it being tricky to deal with from an HR perspective especially.\\xa0\\n\\nThree Levels of Microaggressions\\nThere are three levels of microaggressions: microassaults, microinsults, and microinvalidations. Microassaults include slurs and displays of symbols with problematic histories or derogatory meanings. Microinsults involve implications of negative attributes about someone because they belong to a certain group. Microinvalidations occur when someone expresses that they have experienced one of the aforementioned microaggressions and are overlooked or told that they are wrong. Leaders must recognize that their people know right from wrong and should hold them accountable to be their best selves, Sarah urges. Additionally, they must address it when it happens or else it will get worse over time, Steve warns.\\n\\nThe Leader\\u2019s Role\\nSometimes aggressors are aware that their leader is watching them, and will look to them as if they are asking for permission to commit a microaggression. If you say nothing, you have given your permission, Steve says. When such situations escalate and people wonder how the offender thought the rules didn\\u2019t apply to them, the blame lies with the leader or colleague for not addressing the issue. If you witness a microaggression, it is your responsibility as a bystander to confront it right away, before the offender believes they can get away with such behavior.\\n\\nSarah highlights the importance of rest and self-care during these difficult times, and shares her practices to ensure her physical and mental well-being.\\n\\nResources\\nSarah Morgan on LinkedIn\\nBuzzARooneyLLC.com'