The Elephant in the Room: How the ‘isms’ lead to burnout in the workplace

Ever heard of the term “the elephant in the room”? This phrase is used to refer to a topic that is obvious to those that experience it but choose to ignore it or avoid talking about it due to stigma or anticipated conflict. In matters of diversity and inclusion in the workplace, the elephant in the room is the impact of the “ism” on marginalized populations.

Diversity and inclusion is now a workforce development trend. The heightened awareness of systemic inequity since the George Floyd murder led to greater momentum for social change. Although we may be talking about what is happening and why it should change, we may not be as forthcoming with how systemic equity is affecting us.

Most people know about and openly discuss racism, sexism, and ablism:

Racism – prejudice or discrimination by Whites toward people of color

Sexism – prejudice or mistreatment by men toward women or other gender minorities  

Ablism – prejudice or discrimination by those who are able-bodied toward those who are not

Less commonly discussed “isms” in the workplace include:

Colorism – the prejudice or discrimination by those with light-skin toward people with dark skin. This can happen from other groups, such as preferential treatment by Whites toward lighter-skinned people of color over darker skinned ones, or colorism happens within one’s own race or ethnic group as well.

Texturism – prejudice or discrimination by those with fine textured hard toward people with course textures

Agism – the prejudice or discrimination of those who are older toward those who are younger

Classism – the prejudice or discrimination of those of higher socioeconomic status to those who are middle class or poor. Those who are middle class can also be prejudice toward those in poverty.

Yet, a slightly different, but equality important “ism” in the workplace is tokenism. This one looks different, because it appears positive on the surface. Tokenism is the conscious or unconscious acts by those in power to include a minimum amount of a minority population to either mask the oppression of the marginalized group or disproportionally represent them at large. Although the others may pertain to one identity, tokenism can apply to any marginalized category. For example, the presence of one Black coworker is proof that racism doesn’t exist in the organization. The promotion of one young colleague to manager serves as an example that young hires can be leaders, if they work hard enough. Pictures of the few women in a majority male department are used on the recruitment brochure to project the image of an inclusive work environment. Once you’ve realized you’re the “token” this or that, it can be equally as tough to navigate the negative impact on your well-being. Expressing your concerns can also be challenging, because those practicing it may feel that you should be grateful of your “elite” position.

It’s important to point out the “isms” are always about the hierarchy of social power. It is the oppression or discrimination of a social group by another with more power or privilege. As a result, it’s not possible for Blacks to be “racists” or women to be “sexist”. These groups can be prejudiced toward other groups, or even toward one another, but not practitioners of “isms”.

The controversy of the “isms” in the workplace is that the “isms” are not so explicit as they may be in other areas of our lives. The Civil Rights Act and the American with Disabilities Act prohibits acts of discrimination that are easily detectable. The “isms” are therefore more often covert in the workplace and this may take some time for someone to notice, such as the subtle practices of who gets promoted to leadership or other nuanced details of the organizational culture. As a result, it may also be hard to realize when it’s affecting you as well as articulate it in a way that others understand.

With the increased advocacy and awareness about mental health in our society, burn out has become a more common topic in the media, similar to the topic of social inequity. Burn out can look like different things to different people in different circumstances. Burn out can be as simple as being overwhelmed with one’s job or as severe as the beginning signs of deteriorating mental health. It can be caused by a multitude of things, such as having too much on one’s plate at work or not being aligned with one’s right career fit.

However, when it comes to marginalization, the burnout that marginalized populations feel from facing oppression in the workplace is quite unique to those of marginalized identities. The emotional and mental weight of handling oppression in the place you need to sustain a living causes a great deal of stress and fatigue. The difficult power dynamics threatens a sense of safety to speak up for one’s needs and compromises how to effectively seek the support to be effective in one’s role. Reactions are often subconscious, and one may not even notice just how dealing with the situation is leading to burnout.

Here’s some signs you are experiencing burn out from marginalization at work:  

Disengagement

You just want to do your job and then go home. You do not socialize with your coworkers or participate in things like volunteering for fear of potentially encountering microaggressions. You may have already faced being excluded, so you do not see a need to save face. You either finish your tasks early to get it over with or you procrastinate to do other things that engage your interests. You pass the time on non-work related tasks, such as online shopping or even job hunting.

Irritability

You are frustrated by the work of having to consistently decode what someone said or did toward you. The simplest things at work increasingly annoy you. You are offended easily and don’t have the patience to resolve conflict. Anything outside of the ordinary feels like an inconvenience. Your communication is short. People think you have an attitude or can sense that you don’t want to be bothered. You are aware that you have been placed in the “aggressive” category, and this makes you feel further upset that you have been labeled for responding to what others do, but it is consistently dismissed, ignored, or rationalized.  

Tiredness

The energy you have demonstrated in the past has been overlooked or possibly stolen by others.  You are overextended due to the workload others assume you can accomplish. Now, you still have trouble getting out of bed to go to work, despite getting enough sleep. You need to drink more caffeine than normal. You have trouble staying awake at work. You feel more drained when you come home from work than you had in the past or participate in other types of activities that energize you. You do not have the energy to do anything beyond your basic job responsibilities. Your requests for time off are met with shame for “not meeting expectations” or manipulation for not being “dependable”.  

Stagnation

You see the stress and headache that others have had to go through to move head, so you lack interest in advancing within your field or moving on to another position. You are comfortable with your current role and feel the added pressure of moving forward is not “worth the trouble”. You ignore suggestions for training or other professional development opportunities that would help you to learn additional skills for career growth.

It’s one thing to hear about these things, and then another to experience it. It’s also important to note that burn out might look different for you at different stages in your life. Unfortunately, I’ve experienced most of these “isms” at some point in my career. I was recently featured as a guest on the Here We Are Podcast with Teka Johnson, LCSW. I talked in detail about my experiences with marginalization in a predominantly White environment.

You can watch the interview here.

Discussing personal feelings and thoughts is taboo in work culture, but doing so builds empathy. Empathy is critical to the change we need to create workplaces that are safe and welcoming. People can know something is wrong, but they are not as likely to take action unless it resonates with them on an emotionally level and why they feel it should change. Communicating with trusted individuals and allies as well as finding other opportunities to reach out to those that might be facing similar challenges builds communities that are empowered to support one another and advocate for our needs.

There’s no one right way to handle discrimination in the workplace. You may decide to “fight the good fight” or stir up “good trouble”. You may decide to pursue other opportunities out of “self-preservation”. Whichever your path, I hope you move with the knowledge that you are seen and heard, and you deserve to thrive in a community of caring others. Let’s continue critical conversations that honor our authentic feelings and experiences. Be well.