Our February Workforce Wednesday discussion focused on the important topic of biases, microaggressions and code-switching as they relate to the workforce – and how organizations can recognize and respond to them. At the beginning of our discussion, DEED Workforce Strategy Consultant Adesewa Adesiji defined the terms of biases, microaggressions and code-switching as:

Biases - A natural inclination for or against an idea, object, group or individual.

Microaggressions - Daily, verbal, behavioral or environmental slights, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative attitudes toward stigmatized or culturally marginalized groups.

Code-switching – A way in which a member of an underrepresented group adjusts their language, syntax, grammatical structure, behavior and appearance to fit into the dominant culture.

Afterward, we heard from an expert panel of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) professionals who shared advice on how to acknowledge and address these behaviors in workplace settings. Here are a few key takeaways from the panelists in response to various questions during the discussion:

How do biases, microaggressions and code-switching impact today's workforce?

Alex Tittle, Senior Director DEI – Medica

• It's really about covert versus overt racism or discrimination. We are responsible as leaders and employees to recognize and address them because if they're not addressed, they can grow like a cancer in our organizations.

Lauren Hunter, DEI Associate Director - UnitedHealth Group

• Employees of certain marginalized groups feel they can't bring their full authentic selves to work and so that's why they code-switch.
• Showing up every day trying to be something they are not over time is exhausting. And with that you see high turnover, because people don't want to play that game forever.
• It also limits creativity in the workplace when people can't be their true selves and voice their opinions or ideas. That impacts the services you're providing and the products you're selling.

Sarah Petersen, DEI Specialist - General Mills

• Since coming back to work in this new hybrid world, employees don't want to come back into the office because they haven't had to deal with these microaggressions while working from home.
• If you want your employees to be back in person, you need to create an environment where people don't have to feel like they're protecting themselves with things like code-switching.

How can employers normalize the discussion around topics like microaggressions, biases and code-switching?

Alex Tittle, Senior Director DEI – Medica

• That's tough because not every organization has those safe spaces. As DEI professionals, it's our responsibility to open the door for discussion and pull down those walls so people can begin having those important conversations.

Dr. Lanise Block, Founder/CEO - Sankore Consulting LLC

• You have to bake it into the culture of your organization by creating policies and frameworks so then you can determine what are the goals and strategies we need to put in place so we can address these things when they occur.

Sarah Petersen, DEI Specialist - General Mills

• Storytelling is one way organizations can approach these topics. We had a panel of employees from all different levels and all different background share the microaggressions they've experienced at work during a large group discussion.
• It became okay to talk about it because we had people admit that these things were happening and so now that it was addressed, we could go about finding ways to fix it.

What does it mean to be an ally in working toward removing biases, microaggressions and the need to code-switch?

Sarah Petersen, DEI Specialist - General Mills

• At General Mills, we use ally as a verb not a noun because it's all about the acts and what you're doing.
• For myself, I had to look inward with some self-reflection on why do I want to be an ally?
• I had to admit my own blind spots and biases first before I could really start being an ally.
• Putting yourself in potentially uncomfortable places so that you can learn more about people outside of your experiences is really important if you want to be an ally.

Dr. Lanise Block, Founder/CEO - Sankore Consulting LLC

• Like at the airport, if you see something say something. If you're in a meeting and something isn't right, say something and don't wait for a BIPOC person to address it first.

What is the cost for businesses when they ignore microaggressions and biases?

Lauren Hunter, DEI Associate Director - UnitedHealth Group

• You create a toxic and non-inclusive culture by ignoring these things in your organization and you'll continue to lose people if you don't address it.

Alex Tittle, Senior Director DEI – Medica

• As DEI professionals, we don't push anything on anybody, but our main job is to influence others to see things through a different lens.
• If we chose not to address it, we create an environment of acceptance that allows these microaggressions to grow.
• The demographics of our state are going to change drastically in the next 20 years and if we're not intentional about transforming our workspaces we bear witness to the same issues that our parents and grandparents went through trying to integrate. We have to decide what side of history we want to be on.
• It's not me trying to come for you, it's me trying to educate you on what's important to me and my community so that you can better understand me and all of my different layers as a person.

View a recording of the February 1, 2023 session and other past sessions, find related downloadable resources and access a schedule for all Workforce Wednesday sessions in 2023 on the Workforce Wednesday page on CareerForceMN.com.