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9 Ways to Battle Bogus, Gaslighting, Trash-Talking Co-Workers
Talking smack at work is nothing new, but here’s how to handle it
Have you ever walked away from an interaction with a co-worker or read an email from a supervisor that did not sit well with you but was not overtly offensive? Maybe you shrugged it off and told yourself you were overly sensitive, and perhaps you were. But the odds are that your instincts were on point. Historically, Black women have endured the brunt of both racial and gender-based discrimination, and the workspace is no different.
Although Black women and Black trans women have made tremendous strides in the workforce, we still are overrepresented among minimum-wage-earning workers, are hired and promoted slower than our White peers, and are routinely paid less than both White men and women. Discussions about discrimination against Black women in employment typically center around more overt examples. But we also experience various forms of microaggressions and gaslighting that present as manipulative communication from our White — and often from our Black — co-workers and supervisors. Until there is an end to misogynoir in the workplace, we can take refuge in knowing we aren’t alone. There are ways to navigate manipulative language without losing our minds or our job.
Discussing discrimination directed toward us in the workforce is almost like beating a never-ending drum that few folks actually hear. Essence magazine recently conducted a survey that revealed 45% of Black women say they experience racism in their place of employment most often compared to all other areas of their lives. Discrimination at our jobs can include being overlooked for promotions in favor of our less experienced White or non-Black co-workers, not being seen as credible as our White colleagues, being told we’re not social enough, being micromanaged, and microaggressions such as being cut off or talked over in staff meetings with peers of equal station.
