Rolling your eyes is a microaggression, civil servants told in £160k training course
31 January 2024, 19:08
Civil servants have been told that rolling their eyes could be perceived as being sexist or racist.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
More than £160,000 has been spent by the government in the last three years on private sector consultants to train civil servants to observe 'perceived slights', The Times reports.
They have also been trained to spot well-intentioned gestures or hostile words that could represent racial or sexual discrimination.
Most civil servants reacted negatively to the training, saying that it did not improve their knowledge.
Many others said they would not recommend the programme to other members of staff.
Read More: Civil servants to be ordered back to the office for at least three days a week in WFH crackdown
Read More: Liz Truss hits out at economists and civil servants as she defends mini-budget
It is estimated that around £1,000 was spent per worker.
One group of civil servants was taught: “Microbehaviours are tiny, often unconscious gestures, facial expressions, postures, words and tone of voice which can influence how included (or not included) the people around us feel.
“We look at examples of negative microbehaviours — everyday verbal/nonverbal snubs (rolling of eyes, looking at your phone whilst someone else is speaking to you) or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, which communicate unfriendly, critical or negative messages.”
