In some cases, discrimination in the workplace is very obvious. Say that a female employee applies for a promotion. Her boss laughs it off and says that he is not going to promote a woman to a managerial role, suggesting she should not even bother to apply. This is a very clear example of gender discrimination, and it is illegal.
But there are other cases where people experience microaggressions. These are more subtle and often harder to recognize. But they certainly can still be a form of discrimination.
Potential examples
One example of microaggression is if an employee has parents who are immigrants but has grown up in the United States their entire life. Based on the way they look or their accent, a coworker comments that they are surprised by how good their English language skills are. Or perhaps the coworker notes that they are impressed by the person’s level of education. These things may sound like compliments, but they are really reinforcing the stereotype that someone from another country would not be educated or would have poor English language skills.
Another example could be if a Caucasian employee expresses to an African American coworker that they are glad they work with them because they are “one of the good ones.” Again, this sounds like a compliment, but it is clearly an underhanded insult, implying that most African American workers would be unpleasant to work with.
These types of comments and insults, even when dressed up as compliments, can create a hostile work environment. Employees who have been discriminated against need to know exactly what legal steps they can take.