Microaggressions (MAs), subtle, routine slights
conveyed interpersonally or through environmental cues, are pervasive in workplaces
and harm employee well-being and performance. Recent studies indicate that most
employees experience workplace MAs. Despite extensive documentation of their
consequences, the organisational mechanisms that enable MAs remain
under-specified. This study consolidates existing research on MAs, focusing on
environmental factors that contribute to, reinforce, or enable their occurrence
in the workplace. A gap in the literature persists, as previous studies have
examined isolated factors rather than providing a comprehensive account of the
full range of organisational antecedents. A systematic literature review was
conducted, following PRISMA guidelines. The review included empirical studies
and excluded purely philosophical or theoretical discussions. Only studies
presenting either numerical data in results or qualitative findings through
in-text quotations were included. Analysis of 53 articles identified nine
environmental mechanisms underlying workplace MAs: (1) exclusionary
organisational culture; (2) ineffective or superficial diversity leadership;
(3) workforce homogeneity and structural composition; (4) systemic historic
discrimination; (5) normalisation of bias through informal norms; (6)
organisational policy and procedural gaps; (7) embedded inequities sustaining
the MA cycle; (8) materialised bias through spaces and symbols; and (9)
hierarchical and informal power structures. This review identifies key
organisational conditions that enable MAs and demonstrates that multiple
environmental factors contribute to their occurrence. Recognising this full
range of factors provides a foundation for developing a comprehensive MA
framework to guide preventative strategies aimed at reducing MAs in the
workplace.
