Every week, the Briefings marketing team arranges for first-rate speakers to deliver audio conferences on a range of workplace topics. Past speakers have shared their expertise on everything from navigating change to increasing productivity to motivating employees.
This week I’m especially excited about the talk “Nonsense at Work: The Micro-Inequities That Destroy Morale—and How to Overcome Them” from James McIntosh, scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, May 17 at 1:30 p.m. Eastern.
The term “micro-inequities” is new to me, but the concept is not. Like most people, I’ve experienced the kind of subtle slights that McIntosh will be speaking out. You probably have too. They’re those moments when you feel insulted, but you’re not even sure if the other person intended to be rude—like when your boss brushes you off or a co-worker sighs loudly after you speak. Compared to some rude behaviors, they’re minor, and yet they still sting. And if they keep happening, they can seriously damage morale and relationships.
That’s bad enough when you’re just a regular employee, but it’s more complicated when you’re responsible for a group. On the one hand, it’s your job to make sure your team flourishes, which isn’t going to happen if members are—consciously or unconsciously—offending each other. But on the other hand, you can’t make a big deal about every little thing, can you? And on the third hand (yes, managers need at least three to juggle all their responsibilities!), you need to be certain that you are not unintentionally committing micro-inequities, signaling to your staff that you don’t value or respect them.
That’s a lot to handle, but McIntosh has you covered. His audio conference explains all the ins and outs of micro-inequities. You’ll learn how to recognize them, respond to them, coach victims and perpetrators, and counteract their effects. Sign up today!
Want to explore micro-inequities a bit before the audio conference? Check out this great introductory video that McIntosh created!
What’s the worst micro-inequity you’ve experienced?
Filed under: Leadership, Resources & Tools Tagged: | micro-inequities, morale, respect, training, workplace behavior
This is so awesome to hear! After so many years of being told I’m just being “over sensitive,” maybe there is something to these little insults or slights. Looking forward to some advice on how to handle these in the office.
Thanks, Lauren! In the past I’ve wondered if I was just “too sensitive,” and I think there were times when that was probably true (if I was overtired, for example), but usually the slights are real–whether they’re intentional or not.
I hope you enjoyed the audio conference!
A very insightful post, thank you for sharing. The workplace today is so emotionally charged that it’s almost impossible to avoid unintentionally offending somebody. It’s also important to recognise when a team member has a legitimate complaint or whether they are simply being over-sensitive and taking something a little too personally – but it is certainly a fine line.