Companies Must Do More To Silence Culture Around Microaggressions

Companies have to take stronger action against toxic workplace cultures that allow microaggressions and the silencing of victims to continue, says new research from Vlerick Business School.

The study found that in many workplaces, due to the toxic culture, women are more likely to be silent when they face microaggressions and rely more on coping strategies. The researchers say that organisations must take more steps to create spaces for dialogue, rather than shutting them down.

While gender equity policies exist in many organisations, a growing awareness of workplace inequalities has meant that discrimination has shifted from overt to covert forms, which the researchers say have become harder to confront in the workplace.

The research was led by Delia Mensitieri, a doctoral student at Vlerick Business School and Ghent University, alongside Smaranda Boroș, Professor of Intercultural Management and Organisational Behaviour at Vlerick Business School and Ghent University, and Claudia Toma - OB and Leadership Professor at Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management.

The team examined over 700 experiences of microaggressions shared by more than 125 women via an online platform, investigating how women react, cope, and whether companies provide tools to empower them to respond.

The findings showed that women frequently relied on several coping strategies instead of feeling able to speak up against microaggressions. These strategies ranged from misinterpreting microaggressions as harmless, questioning their intent, to recognising microaggressions yet feeling powerless to report them.

This led to resignation regarding persistent microaggressions, resulting in feelings of disengagement and, in some cases, workplace exit. Finally, the strategy of addressing microaggressions was employed when individuals felt confident in their workplace to do so.

"For too long, the message has been that women need to speak up when they face microaggressions. Our research shows that the problem isn’t women staying silent—it’s the workplace cultures that make speaking up risky or impossible,” says the researchers.

To tackle microaggressions, the researchers recommend a two-fold approach. First, organisations should dismantle systemic silencing mechanisms through open dialogue, accountability, and bystander training. Second, they should provide stage-specific support, equipping individuals with the language, strategies, and tools to recognise, respond to, and cope with subtle workplace bias.

Companies must actively dismantle the silencing mechanisms and create environments where women are empowered, supported, and truly heard.