Microaggressions Are Not Minor: The Hidden Cost of Silence
“Microaggressions don’t just bruise over time, they block potential. Leadership grows in the light of dignity, not the shadow of silence.”
“It was just a joke.”
“Don’t be so sensitive.”
“You’re so articulate.”
Microaggressions may appear small on the surface, but for women of colour in leadership, they create an enduring undercurrent of harm. They chip away at confidence, enforce self-censorship and divert energy from strategic focus to survival mode.
Microaggressions are subtle expressions of bias often normalised, sometimes denied but they are deeply disruptive. When repeated over time, they create an unsafe and psychologically taxing workplace for those on the receiving end. The result? Silence. Shrinking. And slow erosion of leadership confidence.
A 2021 Lean In report showed that 1 in 3 women of colour experience microaggressions at work that challenge their competence or question their authority. A UK government-backed review into race and policing further found that Black women in leadership positions within the force were more likely to be penalised for raising concerns, labelled as “difficult,” or isolated for speaking up, amplifying the emotional tax and reinforcing a culture of internalised restraint.
Similarly, in the NHS, multiple studies and independent reviews have revealed that Black women healthcare professionals are more likely to face formal disciplinary action, be overlooked for promotion and experience sustained bias in performance reviews. This persistent inequality in one of the UK’s largest public institutions reflects how deeply embedded these patterns of exclusion remain.
Post-pandemic workplace shifts have complicated this dynamic. In hybrid and remote settings, women of colour report feeling more isolated and less visible. A 2022 McKinsey & Lean In report revealed that microaggressions have simply migrated to virtual spaces through being interrupted on video calls, ignored in group chats, or excluded from key decision-making Zooms. These behaviours are harder to detect, easier to deny and just as damaging.
Dr. Derald Wing Sue, whose research pioneered the framework on microaggressions, identifies the cumulative effect as “death by a thousand cuts” a slow disempowerment that undermines trust, performance and ambition.
Without psychological safety, leadership becomes performative. Women of colour begin to:
Censor their voice in key decision-making spaces
Second-guess their leadership instincts
Withdraw from high-stakes visibility opportunities
This is especially true in male-dominated and hierarchical environments like STEM, law and policing where cultural difference is still viewed as divergence, not depth.
In an age of hybrid work, digital surveillance and AI-driven talent tracking, emotional intelligence and psychological safety are more essential than ever. Forward-thinking organisations must reframe inclusion from a compliance exercise to a leadership imperative where empathy, identity and intersectionality are embedded into every performance review, team check-in and strategic vision.
Leadership Exercise:
Recall a recent microaggression. Write down the response you ‘wish’ you had given. Practise saying it out loud.
Draft one sentence that affirms your right to safety, space and leadership. Keep it visible.
Find a trusted peer or mentor who can roleplay scenarios with you to build confidence in calling out bias.
Reflect on your current workplace: Is there a system in place that protects psychological safety? If not, how can you influence its creation?
Psychological safety isn’t optional it’s foundational. Organisations that fail to protect it will not retain their best talent. For those at the start of their leadership journey, silence stunts confidence. For those further along, it drains influence. And for everyone in between, it sends the message: you don’t belong here.
To move forward, organisations must:
Embed anti-bias response training at all leadership levels
Reward managers who cultivate inclusive cultures, not just results
Recognise and repair the harm of cumulative exclusion
Create peer-based advocacy groups where lived experiences are heard and validated
Actively track inclusion in remote and hybrid settings to ensure equity doesn't end at the screen
Because silence is not a strategy. It’s a symptom. And leadership must evolve to protect not just outcomes but the people who drive them.
Like, comment and tag a woman who deserves to lead without editing herself. If you're mentoring someone through this challenge or building a braver workspace share your story. Your voice might be the one that makes it safer for hers. What’s one action you’ll take this week to advocate for psychological safety and how will you hold your workplace accountable for doing the same?