Microaggressions, the subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle), offensive comments or actions directed at a member of a marginalized group that reinforce stereotypes, come in many forms. Registered nurses Annalise George and Tina Santos and emergency room technician Jenny Sloan share their experiences dealing with and responding to microaggressions as well as the impact they can have on individuals and workplaces.

Listen to the episode or read the transcript.

nother DEI effort

When Jenny Sloan heard there was a renewed effort to combat racism at her work, she wasn’t particularly encouraged. She’d been to many meetings over the years, all targeted towards ending racism, but nothing really seemed to stick. “It seemed like the meeting was going to dead end because of history and lack of tools. That’s been going on my whole working career,” she says.

But things shifted in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, says Annalise George. Leadership got involved and DEI efforts were no longer an afterthought.

he ah-ha moment

Sloan says the presence of leadership and the safe space they helped facilitate was a turning point for her. “They made us able to express ourselves freely,” she says. Finally, Sloan says she was beginning to have hope. “My mind started changing. We were making baby steps, and I could see changes and progress being made,” she says.

icroaggressions in the ER

Tina Santos says working in the ER, the three of them see microaggressions every day. Staff there see people on their worst days, and microaggressions are often part of that.

Both from patients to staff and staff to staff, all three women have experienced the pain of microaggressions. But, they say, at least they’re talking about it. And, almost as important, they do not fear retaliation for speaking up.

George says that they’re creating a culture of where they can safely call out microaggressions.

“We hold a lot in in our department,” says George. “We need to do a better job creating space and try to correct behavior in real time.”

“It’s everyone’s responsibility to call it out,” she says. And it’s important to get everyone on board with making the needed changes. To hear more from Annalise George, Tina Santos and Jenny Sloan, listen to this episode of Off the Charts.