As you may already know, discrimination against any of the protected characteristics as stated in the Equality Act 2010 (including age, sex, race, disability, gender reassignment and sexual orientation, for example) is illegal. However, discrimination based on factors outside of these characteristics may still be illegal and you have the right to oppose them.​

Once you’re able to understand the different types of discrimination, you can consider the impact of discrimination in the workplace and explore the different ways you can support yourself through it​.

What is a microaggression?

Microaggressions are one of the most common forms of discrimination in the workplace. As described by professor of counselling psychology Dr Derald Wing Sue, “Microaggressions are the everyday slights, indignities, insults, put downs, and invalidations that target groups experience in their day-to-day interactions with well-intentioned individuals who are unaware that they are engaging in an offensive or demeaning form of behaviour.”

However, they are difficult to identify and therefore often go unchecked by institutions. Examples of microaggressions include questions such as “Where are you really from?” or “Can I speak to someone in charge?” and statements like “You don’t look Indian” or “You don’t seem like you have a disability”.

What is the impact of inequity in the workplace?

Dealing with discrimination in the workplace can trigger a wide range of personal issues that make it harder to do your job. According to Dr Derald Wing Sue, “They assail the self-esteem of recipients, produce anger and frustration, deplete psychic energy, lower feelings of subjective well-being and worthiness, produce physical health problems, shorten life expectancy, and deny minority populations equal access and opportunity in education, employment, and health care.”

Being confronted with discrimination in a professional setting can have a huge effect on your physical and mental wellbeing and can often result in minority stress (chronically high levels of stress faced by members of stigmatised minority groups)​.

Given the scale of impact it may have, we feel it is important to be equipped with the tools to be able to firstly recognise what the discrimination may look like and what actions you can take to support yourself.​

Challenging discrimination by yourself​ (on behalf of yourself or others)

Remember to keep it SAS (‘short and simple’)​ – “You just interrupted her, can we let her finish?”, “You just touched my hair without asking, please don’t do that.”​

Provide feedback based on FFF (fact, feature, future)

• Fact: “You tend to ask me questions about dyslexia a lot”​
• Feature: “It feels exhausting that you keep asking me”
• Future: “Could you take responsibility for learning about dyslexia yourself?”

Can’t respond in the moment? ​It is not your responsibility to educate others. You can choose to leave it or approach them at another time (“I have had time to think about something that happened the other day, can we talk about it?”​).

Challenging discrimination through others​

Stage 1: Discuss possible solutions with your line manager

For something like harassment, especially if the line manager also manages the person responsible, this could be a best first option. However, it’s worth remembering for more structural issues of discrimination (like a discriminatory hiring policy) they may not have the power or the knowledge of how to immediately fix this.​

Also, if it is the case that the discrimination is from your boss or another manager it might not be the best choice to report it back to them, and there are other avenues you can explore.​

Stage 2: File a grievance with Human Resources (HR)

Most companies will have a formal grievance process and it will look a bit like this:​

• You’ll fill out a document that states everything that happens, hence why evidence in these situations is so important​.
• You’ll be invited to a meeting where there is a HR representative and a manager external to the situation who will then ask you a series of questions​.
• They go away and independently investigate the incident then come back with solutions proposed by the HR department.

Stage 3: Seek professional advice from Trade Unions and other support networks

If you work in a big company, especially anything within the public sector, you will have a union. Essentially, what they’ll do is assist you through that HR process – helping you put you case together, accompanying you to the meeting and, if it goes to the next step, covering your legal costs!​

While we’re not saying you should or should not join a trade union since there is a cost incurrence each month, it’s worth considering that they will only offer to help if you’re a paid-up member and, in most cases, if you’ve been a member for more than four weeks.​

You can also access support from a few other places including Citizens Advice, ACAS and JobsAware who offer useful information about dealing with issues at work and your legal rights.​

Stage 4: Pursue legal action against your employer

Tribunals are really the last stage and are essentially employment courts – they’ll undergo a similar process to what the HR process does but it is legally binding. Hopefully you won’t need to go through this process but it’s important to remember that there are actions that can be taken if your employer fails to act against discrimination.​

Effective steps to challenge discrimination​

The first step we would suggest to anyone wishing to challenge discrimination they have encountered in the workplace is to gather evidence. While it’s not a pleasant process to go through, whether you go through HR, a union, or a tribunal, they are going to want to know exactly what was said or done, at what time and who was there.​ This means saving emails and taking notes.

For example, are you going into a one-to-one meeting where your manager regularly makes disparaging comments? Take a notebook and try your best to write absolutely everything down. This also has an added benefit as once you start writing down people’s exact comments in front of them, they sometimes become a little more self-aware about what they’re saying and can see they were in the wrong without you having to actively address their behaviour.​

Important things to remember

One key takeaway from this is to sign up to a union (cost permitting) and be aware of HR policies ​whenever you join a new organisation. This will offer you the professional support and protection you need to successfully challenge any incidents of discrimination at work.

Additionally, if you are ever confronted with discrimination in the workplace, ensure you keep record of any incidents where possible to support your claim.

Finally, there is no shame in leaving an organisation or not challenging discrimination. If you are ever faced with discrimination at work, remember that it is not your fault and it is not your responsibility to fix the organisation. Your main priority should be to take care of your mental health and wellbeing​, whether this is by sleeping well, eating well, exercising, doing activities outside of work, taking time off, or even resigning altogether! Put your personal and professional needs first and the right career opportunities will be sure to follow.

If you enjoyed this blog, make sure you visit our diversity and inclusion pages for more information about how we can support you:

• Race equity: Support for Black, Asian and diverse heritage students
• Support for Disabled students
• Support for LGBTQ+ students
• Support for students who identify as women
• Social mobility: Support for students who are care-experienced, first-gen university goers, receive an LSE bursary, or went to UK state school (to access this support specifically, please note you need to opt-in on CareerHub)

You can also email us on careers@lse.ac.uk with any questions about our programmes, or book an appointment with a careers consultant to discuss your next steps.