Your Colleague Isn’t Always Your Enemy: Racism, Bias and the Mental Burden of Being an Immigrant at Work

For many immigrants, succeeding at work involves more than simply being good at your job.

You may be learning a new culture, understanding unfamiliar communication styles, trying to build a professional network from scratch and, in some cases, dealing with questions about your accent, name, nationality or right to be in the country.

So when something goes wrong at work, a promotion goes to someone else, your idea is ignored, a manager seems cold, or a colleague gets an opportunity you wanted it can be difficult to know what is really happening.

Was it racism?

Was it unconscious bias?

Was it office politics?

Or was it simply a normal workplace decision that you disagree with?

These questions have become particularly relevant in conversations surrounding the story of Professor Jason Arday. His remarkable journey and rise in academia have inspired many people, while discussions around his story have also attracted strong opinions about race, opportunity and whether minorities are treated differently when they reach positions of influence.

But perhaps there is a bigger conversation worth having especially for immigrants.

How should immigrants and minorities navigate workplaces where racism and bias can be real, without allowing every setback to become a personal psychological battle?

The answer is not to ignore discrimination.

And it is not to assume discrimination either.

The challenge is learning how to recognise the difference.

Racism can be real but it is not the only explanation

Let's start with something important: racism and discrimination in the workplace are real.

Some people are treated differently because of their race, nationality, accent, religion or background. Bias can affect who gets interviewed, who gets promoted, whose ideas are taken seriously and who is seen as a "good cultural fit."

Pretending otherwise would be dishonest.

However, there is another truth that can be difficult to discuss.

Not every negative experience involving an immigrant or minority employee is caused by racism.

Sometimes your manager genuinely believes someone else was more qualified for a promotion.

Sometimes a colleague is rude because they are rude to everyone.

Sometimes you are excluded from a conversation because of poor communication, not because of your nationality.

Sometimes an opportunity goes to someone with a stronger relationship with the decision-maker.

And sometimes, unfortunately, you are experiencing genuine discrimination.

The difficulty is that these situations can look similar when you are the person experiencing them.

That is why immigrants need to develop something that is rarely taught: the ability to examine workplace situations without immediately dismissing their own experiences or immediately assuming the worst.

Both extremes can be harmful.

If you ignore every warning sign, you may tolerate unacceptable treatment.

If you interpret every disappointment as racism, you may carry an emotional burden that slowly damages your confidence, relationships and mental wellbeing.

The invisible pressure of being "the outsider"

Many immigrants enter workplaces already feeling slightly different.

Perhaps everyone understands jokes that you don't.

Maybe colleagues talk about schools, television shows or childhood experiences you have never heard of.

Maybe your accent makes you self-conscious.

Maybe English is not your first language, and you spend extra energy thinking about how to phrase an email or contribute to a meeting.

Maybe you are the only Black person, Asian person, African person or foreign-born person in the room.

This can create what might be described as hyper-awareness.

You start noticing everything.

Why didn't they invite me to lunch?

Why did my manager correct me in front of everyone?

Why did they promote him instead of me?

Why did everyone laugh when I pronounced that word incorrectly?

Sometimes those questions are important. But sometimes the mind fills in missing information with the explanation that feels most connected to your existing fears.

If you have experienced racism before, you may understandably become more alert to the possibility of it happening again.

That does not mean you are imagining things.

But it does mean that before reaching a conclusion, it can help to pause and ask:

What do I actually know?

And equally important:

What am I assuming?

Look for patterns, not just moments

One awkward comment does not always tell you what kind of workplace you are in.

One missed promotion does not automatically prove discrimination.

But patterns matter.

If you consistently receive positive performance reviews but are repeatedly passed over while less experienced colleagues progress, that is worth examining.

If you notice that people from certain backgrounds rarely reach leadership positions, that may raise important questions.

If colleagues repeatedly make jokes about your nationality after you have made it clear that they make you uncomfortable, that is different from a single clumsy comment.

If your manager constantly interrupts you but gives other people space to speak, observe whether that pattern is consistent.

Facts are powerful.

Instead of carrying every incident around in your head, start separating feelings from evidence.

You might ask yourself:

• What exactly happened?
• Who was involved?
• Has this happened before?
• Does this person behave similarly with others?
• Is there a clear pattern?
• Are there witnesses?
• What was actually said or done?
• Is there another reasonable explanation?

This doesn't mean you should become a detective obsessed with proving everyone is against you.

It means that if something genuinely concerns you, you give yourself a clearer foundation from which to act.

Welcome to office politics the part of work nobody puts in the job description

Many immigrants come from cultures with different ideas about work.

In some environments, you may believe that if you work hard, deliver results and respect your manager, your career will naturally progress.

Then you enter a workplace and discover something frustrating.

Being good at your job is not always the same as being visible.

Relationships matter.

Communication matters.

Understanding who makes decisions matters.

Knowing how to present your achievements matters.

This is often described as office politics, and the phrase has a negative reputation. But not all office politics is manipulation or backstabbing.

Sometimes it simply means understanding how organisations work.

Who influences decisions?

Who needs to know about your work?

How are promotions actually decided?

What does leadership value?

Who advocates for people when opportunities arise?

As an immigrant, you may be at a disadvantage if everyone else already understands these unwritten rules.

You may think, "If my work is good, people will notice."

Sometimes they will.

Often, they won't.

Learning to communicate your achievements, build professional relationships and ask for opportunities is not being fake. It is part of navigating a workplace.

And importantly, if someone else is progressing because they have built stronger relationships or made their work more visible, that doesn't automatically mean you are being discriminated against.

It may mean you have discovered a skill you also need to develop.

Don't let suspicion become your workplace personality

There is a danger in constantly believing that people are trying to stop your progress.

Once that belief becomes fixed, every interaction can start to support it.

A colleague doesn't reply quickly? They're ignoring you.

Your manager challenges your idea? They don't respect you.

Someone else gets recognition? They're favourites.

A colleague gives you feedback? They're trying to undermine you.

This mindset can become exhausting.

And ironically, it can sometimes create the very distance you fear.

If you enter every conversation expecting hostility, people may sense that you are defensive.

If you never trust colleagues, you may struggle to build relationships.

If you believe every successful person around you is benefiting from unfair advantage, you may stop learning from what they are doing well.

This does not mean becoming naïve.

You should absolutely recognise manipulation, bullying, discrimination and toxic behaviour when they occur.

But there is a difference between being observant and being permanently suspicious.

A useful question is:

"If this exact situation happened to someone from the majority group, what explanation would I give them?"

You might discover that your interpretation changes.

Again, that doesn't prove racism isn't involved. It simply helps you examine the situation from more than one angle.

Talk before you suffer in silence

One of the biggest mistakes immigrants can make is carrying workplace problems alone.

Perhaps you don't want to look weak.

Maybe you are worried about losing your job.

Maybe your visa status makes employment feel too important to risk conflict.

Maybe you feel your family sacrificed too much for you to complain.

So you keep everything inside.

You replay conversations.

You think about what your manager meant.

You lose sleep over a colleague's behaviour.

You become increasingly isolated.

By the time you finally speak to someone, you may already be emotionally exhausted.

Instead, try to find appropriate outlets earlier.

That could include:

• A trusted friend outside your immediate workplace.
• A mentor.
• A trusted senior colleague.
• An employee resource group or professional network.
• Your manager, where appropriate.
• HR or another formal workplace channel when there is a serious concern.
• A professional counsellor or mental-health support service if the situation is affecting your wellbeing.

Sometimes simply explaining a situation to another person can help you see details that you missed.

They may say, "Actually, I think that was inappropriate."

Or they may say, "I don't think they meant it that way. Have you considered asking them directly?"

Both perspectives can be valuable.

The goal is not to find someone who will automatically agree with you.

The goal is to find someone who can help you think clearly.

Learn the difference between conflict, bullying, bias and discrimination

Not every workplace problem belongs in the same category.

A disagreement with your manager is not automatically bullying.

A colleague being unlikeable is not necessarily discrimination.

Poor communication is not automatically racism.

But equally, calling everything "office politics" can be a convenient way for organisations to ignore serious problems.

Immigrants should feel confident enough to understand the language of workplace issues.

Ask yourself what you are actually experiencing.

Is it:

A disagreement?
Two people see a situation differently.

Poor management?
Your manager may be disorganised, inconsistent or poor at communication.

Office politics?
Relationships and influence are affecting opportunities.

Bullying?
There may be repeated behaviour intended to intimidate, humiliate or undermine you.

Bias?
Someone's assumptions may be affecting how they evaluate you.

Discrimination?
You may be treated differently because of a protected characteristic or another relevant aspect of your identity.

The response should depend on the problem.

You wouldn't use the same approach for a misunderstanding as you would for serious discrimination.

Being precise about the problem helps you choose the right solution.

Build a career record, not just a memory

If you feel your progress is being blocked, don't rely only on how you feel.

Keep track of your work.

Document major projects.

Save positive feedback.

Record measurable achievements.

Understand the criteria for promotion.

Ask what you need to demonstrate to reach the next level.

If you are repeatedly passed over, ask for specific feedback.

What experience am I missing?

What skills do I need to demonstrate?

What would make me ready for the next level?

Can we create a development plan?

These questions do two things.

First, they give you useful information.

Second, they create clarity.

If the answers keep changing, expectations remain vague or you receive contradictory feedback, you have something more concrete to investigate.

Career progression should not feel like trying to read someone's mind.

Your job is important. Your wellbeing is more important.

For immigrants, work can carry enormous emotional weight.

A job may represent financial security.

It may support your family.

It may be connected to your immigration status.

It may represent years of sacrifice.

That can make workplace problems feel impossible to escape.

But no job, manager or difficult colleague should become the sole measure of your worth.

If work is consuming your thoughts, affecting your sleep, damaging your relationships or leaving you feeling hopeless, that is a sign to take the situation seriously.

You do not have to wait until you are completely broken before seeking support.

And you do not have to solve everything alone.

Speaking to someone is not weakness.

Using a formal workplace process when appropriate is not "causing trouble."

Taking time away from a damaging environment, if you are able to do so, is not failure.

There are moments when the strongest thing an immigrant can do is recognise:

"This environment is affecting me, and I need support."

So, are immigrants and minorities being sidelined?

There is no single answer that applies to every immigrant, every company or every industry.

Some workplaces genuinely have structural problems.

Some individuals experience direct discrimination.

Some barriers are subtle and difficult to prove.

At the same time, workplaces are also full of personality clashes, poor managers, favouritism, competition, misunderstandings and ordinary human behaviour that has nothing to do with race or nationality.

The danger is in forcing every experience into one explanation.

We should not dismiss people who say they have experienced racism.

But neither should we teach immigrants that every difficult colleague is racist or every unsuccessful job application is evidence that the system is personally trying to stop them.

That mindset can become its own prison.

The better approach is to stay alert without becoming consumed by suspicion.

Observe.

Ask questions.

Look for patterns.

Document facts.

Learn the unwritten rules of your workplace.

Build relationships.

Advocate for yourself.

Speak up when something is genuinely wrong.

And when work starts taking a serious toll on your wellbeing, don't carry the weight alone.

The goal is clarity, not paranoia and not silence

Being an immigrant can mean navigating challenges that people born into a country may never have to think about.

That reality deserves to be acknowledged.

But immigrants also deserve something more useful than being told either that everything is fine or that everyone is against them.

The truth is often more complicated.

Sometimes you are facing discrimination.

Sometimes you are facing office politics.

Sometimes you are facing a difficult person.

Sometimes you simply need more information.

And sometimes, the situation is affecting you so deeply that the most important next step is not winning an argument at work, but talking to someone and getting support.

You don't have to ignore your experiences.

But you also don't have to let every setback become a verdict on your identity.

Pay attention. Ask questions. Gather facts. Find your people. Use the right channels. And protect your peace while you build your future.