The current study examined the differences in perceptions of three types of microaggressions experienced by African Americans and Latino Americans. Additionally, this study addressed how the coping mechanism of confrontation may be perceived depending on the level of the microaggression. Finally, colorblind attitudes were examined as an individual difference variable in predicting responses to microaggressions. The study used a 2 (target ethnicity: African American and Latino American) x 3 (types of microaggression: microassault, microinsult, and microinvalidation) between subjects design. A sample of 304 White participants was obtained via MTurk. Participants first read a vignette showing an interaction between a White supervisor and a subordinate of color (African American or Latino American). After reading the vignette, participants were asked to complete the Microaggression Perception Scale, a course of action scale to assess their perception of what the target should have done after the microaggressive incident, the Color-Blind Racial Attitude Scale (COBRA), and a demographic survey. The data were analyzed using MANOVA and regression analyses and the results indicated five major findings. First, White participants were found to be able to perceive microaggressions as having occurred as they became more blatant (from microinvalidation to microinsult to microassault). Second, there were no significant differences in their perceptions of the types of microaggression between the African American and Latino American targets. However, they perceived microinvalidation when it occurred for the White target more clearly than they did the microinvalidation for the African American target. Third, color-blind racial attitudes were related to White individuals’ perception of microinsults and microassaults, but not microinvalidation, indicating those who identified more strongly with the colorblind racial attitude were less likely to perceive the microaggression as being biased even when the microaggression was blatant. Fourth, participants also recommended that individuals of color should take more drastic action for microassault and less drastic action for microinvalidation. This suggested that the microassaults were perceived as not acceptable behavior and that these behaviors should be reported in writing to upper administration in the organization. Finally, color-blind racial attitudes moderated the relationship between the perceptions of microinvalidations and microassaults, and the course of action to deal with aggression. Implications of the study are further discussed.

This study examines how the sudden shift to remote work due to the pandemic is experienced by office workers. The material was gathered through semi-structured interviews with people who live in Stockholm, Sweden. The study includes 11 individuals of different (adult) age, sex, types of ethnical background and (office) jobs. These individuals have gone from working in office spaces to having to transform their homes into their new workspace environment. This implies communicating with their employer and colleagues through digital means. To be able to analyze and anchor these micro aspect experiences to theory, two main concepts are being used: employee voice and psychological employee empowerment. The results show that the respondents both experience positives and negatives with working remotely. These experiences vary depending on the employer’s ability to lead remotely and defects in the organizational structure. / <p>The aim of this research – to contribute with micro sociological knowledge about in which ways a sudden shift to remote work for office workers can impact the employees – has the purpose to grasp a deep understanding for how the changes, which remote working comes with, are experienced. The coded interviews (abductively approached) and found behavioral patterns are presented in detail by supporting the evidence with the two key concepts, employee voice and empowerment. </p><p>In order to manage and maintain a company or organization the employees need to be well prepared for various cases every day, which means that the employer is responsible for their needs. Since there no longer is a common office for all digital units, it must be created by the workplace. The digital communication can then invite the employees to exchange information and continuously transform job assignments to stay in line with their colleagues, for instance learning about how they should reply to customers. Organizational culture can be interpreted as a way to internally educate the staff in how to think of the company or organization that they work for. This “unionization” among workers can be challenging to penetrate and reach their genuine (and personal) opinion when employees feel satisfied by the organizational culture at their work, or the opposite, in cases where they are dissatisfied but afraid to get negative response for their opinion. The challenge is especially problematic when deep diving into inquiries of internal structures of a company or organization, but to find tendencies towards the genuine opinion is possible. The two categorized themes “Outside control” and “Organizational culture” are mainly coded to connect aspects of this character, which some employees associate with the negative parts with remote work. The associations can also be positive, it fully depends on the personal preferences and their experiences about the shift to remote working. </p>