Did you know that Canadians lose up to 55 working days per year due to workplace conflict? Anxiety and isolation are 2 factors that impact whether someone shows up for work. Conflict and mental health play a big role in this. Workplaces with poor communication can lead to anxiety and isolation, which can foster workplace conflict. A safe and healthy workplace benefits employers! It can

• improve retention
• increase productivity
• reduce legal risks
• improve employee morale

Racism, prejudice and microaggressions add to this issue for employees from different cultures and backgrounds.

Microaggressions are everyday, subtle comments or behaviours that communicate bias or discrimination toward someone based on their membership in a group that’s discriminated against or subject to stereotypes. Microaggressions can be verbal or nonverbal. They are often unintentional.

Examples of microaggressions include

• saying someone from another ethnic background looks “exotic”
• telling someone they don’t look like they belong to a racial group
• calling women “girls”
• assuming that someone is in a male-female relationship
• telling someone that they don’t possess a negative stereotype associated with the equity-deserving group they identify with avoiding eye contact with someone who has a visible disability
• continuing to mispronounce a person’s name, or call them a different name, instead of learning how to say it correctly

People who belong to equity-deserving groups are more likely to experience hate speech and microaggressions. This includes people who

• are from different racial backgrounds
• have a disability
• have different gender identities or sexual orientations

When situations aren’t dealt with quickly and efficiently it promotes a hostile and unsafe work environment. As an employer, it’s your responsibility to make every effort to have a microaggression-free workplace. To do this you can

• train employees on microaggressions
• what they are
• how to recognize them
• the harmful consequences of them
• how to respond when they experience or see microaggressions in the workplace
• create a safe space for employees to approach you with concerns and workplace incidents
• review and update policies and procedures to make sure they are free from microaggressions and biases
• update your code of conduct to include microaggressions and corrective actions if/when they happen
• have a conversation with employees when you see microaggressions
• lead by example – participate in anti-microaggression initiatives
• head an anti-workplace harassment and bullying committee
• post information and infographics around the office and worksites
• meet with employees and apprentices to discuss workplace conduct and expectations
• discuss microaggressions, workplace harassment/bullying and positive communication at team meetings

The mental health of all employees improves when a workplace is inclusive. This starts with building positive and respectful communication. To do this you can

• lead an anti-harassment and anti-bullying initiative
• ensure your workplace violence and harassment policies and procedures are reviewed regularly
• include policy review in the onboarding process
• have new employees sign policies to confirm that they understand and agree to comply
• give them an opportunity to ask questions and clarify anything they’re unsure about
• communicate expectations around respect and code of conduct
• provide mandatory training at all levels