Stereotypes are assumptions about a person based on surface level characteristics such as their appearance, age, gender, or sex. These assumptions can be harmful in a host of different ways.

In the context of government stereotypes can be disastrous. In some instances they can lead us to overlook the problems those we serve have. If we stereotype single mothers as tough, able-bodied, capable women we may overlook the fact that they are fallible humans that need help, just as much as anyone does. And in the context of co-workers and employees they can lead to hurtful comments that decrease trust and camaraderie. In fact, stereotypes can prevent us from fully realizing and utilizing the strengths of our co-workers and employees. They are blinders that do nothing more than hurt our ability to be as efficient, effective, and kind as we could be.

A lot of people these days are aware of the obvious harmful stereotypes society has ingrained in us: people of asian descent are good at math, young women are not smart (they only have professional success because of their looks), young men should be the ones to lift heavy boxes or do physical labor. These stereotypes do not reflect reality. They ignore the individual strengths that we bring to bear, and enforce harmful behaviors.

However, even stereotypes that we might usually categorize as ‘good’ stereotypes can get in the way of meaningful work. For example, we may stereotype a young person as good with computers, when they have no real work history or professional experience with computers.

Stereotyping can be very harmful and hurtful and lead to increased agitation, anxiety, and decreased productivity and happiness in the workplace. This can lead to some very hard situations which can be tough to navigate. But then how can we get ourselves and our co-workers to confront harmful stereotypes without making them feel attacked?

Bringing in a third party professional who can partner with you to provide training on increasing awareness about how stereotypes can impact service provision and your workplace culture and developing skills to address stereotypes can be a first step in the right direction.