How To Respond To Injustice At Work

Things can be especially difficult for marginalized and system-impacted people who work in toxic environments. From racism to classism to bullying, there are so many forms of injustice that show up in the workplace. A recent study from 937 Strategy Group confirmed that many people experience injustice in the workplace. 66% of participants reported experiencing workplace injustice in the past year, with 23% encountering it monthly. Even worse, women and members of underrepresented groups consistently face significant disparities, such as being shut out of crucial workplace conversations. And 14% of participants who quit a job cited injustice, including ostracism, bullying, harassment, failed allyship and bystander behavior.

I’m very familiar with injustice at work. In my early 20s I put up with so much mistreatment in order to be accepted in predominantly white, heteronormative spaces. In 2016 I was an intern at a small media company in Santa Monica, a beach town located in Los Angeles County. I walked out of the job in protest after a white woman put her hands deep into my hair and started playing with my natural curls. I never formally resigned, ignored colleagues who tried to contact me, and reported the woman who touched my hair to human resources.

I would never leave a job that way today, but it was low stakes because it was an internship and I had financial support from my parents at the time. If that happened now I would organize a meeting with the head of human resources and the person who touched my hair. Going to human resources is one of several ways to handle workplace injustice. Here are the ways I recommend people respond to injustice at work.

Go To Human Resources

Before going to human resources, consider if you will be taken seriously. If you think the director of human resources will brush you off try talking to the person you report to directly. Unfortunately, the person making things difficult for you at work may be your boss. If that’s the case see if there is another manager you can work under. When you go to human resources make sure you have documentation of the days, times, and contexts in which your coworker said biased or belittling things. Mention if a colleague witnessed someone being biased towards you.

After filing a report to human resources there is a possibility your coworkers will be interviewed. This happened when I made a complaint to human resources during a fellowship. I reported the editorial director, who was my boss, for googling my address and making a reference to the car in my driveway and a landmark down the street. I provided him with my address to receive a work computer. After an investigation it was clear that some former fellows also dealt with his inappropriate behavior.

The directors of human resources couldn’t tell me much. But she did say that I was not alone in how I felt and that action would be taken. I later found out that he was required to go to counseling due to my report to human resources. Don’t assume that filing a complaint about a manager or colleague won’t make a difference. And by reporting unjust or inappropriate behavior it paves the way for other people to speak up about instances of bias they’ve witnessed.

Consider Another Job

If you aren’t taken seriously by human resources or are too afraid to file a complaint then it may be time to consider finding another job. The job market isn’t great at the moment, but there’s nothing wrong with working multiple part time jobs rather than finding something full-time. Jobs like SAT tutoring and dog walking can be really lucrative. If you decide to leave your job, make sure you have something else lined up. This doesn’t apply if your mental or physical health is at risk due to the stress of the prejudice or bullying you are dealing with at work.

Resign as soon as possible if your mental state is deteriorating. If you need a job and can’t afford to resign, you can do something like working for a tutoring company until you land something in your field of work. I know someone who paid $1,200 per hour for their kids’ SAT tutoring. Most tutors I know make $80 per hour or more. As a former tutor myself I charged $60 per hour. That may be more than you make from a conventional full-time job. Just remember, your health and well-being are more important than any job. Do what is best for you, not just your pocket book.

Confide In A Therapist

This is one of the best ways to cope with workplace injustice. I don’t recommend remaining silent or keeping the injustice taking place to yourself. If you can’t afford to resign and are not comfortable going to human resources, then find a therapist to help you get through. Ask your therapist about healthy ways to respond to injustice at work. Come up with a list of phrases you can say in response. Create a calming routine you can do before or after seeing a biased colleague. Do some research on workplace injustice. Try reading books and looking at studies about injustice in the workplace. Doing this may make you feel less alone.

Ask your therapist if they know of any books, social media accounts, or interview clips that center around prejudice, bias, and bullying in the workplace. Only ask for recommendations if this kind of information won’t trigger you. Even if you do leave your job, continue seeing a therapist to discuss your personal life, job hunt or new job, finances, friends, and family. Most importantly, having a therapist after experiencing workplace trauma is crucial to someone’s mental health and overall stability. Working in a toxic environment can leave emotional wounds. Rather than letting those wounds fester, talk about your experience with a mental health professional. Reflecting on all you went through after you left may make you realize that your former workplace traumatized you. The impact of that trauma likely won’t last forever. If you put in the work to heal it will surely pay off.