How Latina Immigrants Can Confront Workplace Bullying

Almost two years ago, I had started a job at a well-respected educational institution. As an immigrant Latina from Argentina, I carried the unspoken pressure that many of us feel—the need for stability, the weight of financial need, and the will to make the most of the opportunity as if it were the last. So though I was eager to work and grateful for the opportunity, all of a sudden, everything started to deteriorate revealing a harsh reality that contradicted the sense of achievement I initially had. My boss ruled with an authoritarian, passive-aggressive style, enforcing rules on everyone. They’d strip me of tasks if they were upset, leaving me idle. If I showed initiative, they saw it as a threat, responding with subtle put-downs, disapproving looks, or hostile body language. The schedule I was hired for—aligned with my son’s needs—was disregarded almost immediately. I was penalized for not staying late, yet when I did, my presence often served no real purpose. The inconsistency was just as damaging—one good day gave me hope, only to be crushed by the next. Fear, whispered grievances, and top-down control defined the workplace, making effective leadership and kindness feel like unattainable luxuries.

Even though in my case, the focus of the mistreatment was not my condition as an immigrant per se, it certainly complicated my situation. All of my long-standing fears due to my migrant identity were constantly on my mind: Was my English good enough to navigate the job market? Would my immigrant background be an obstacle? Who could I turn to for help? What do I do if no one ever wants to hire me again?

In this context, as an immigrant and mother, failure wasn’t just professional; it felt like a failure in life where I couldn’t provide for my family. Financial uncertainty weighed as heavily as the mistreatment itself. Quitting without another job was impossible, yet each morning felt like scaling Everest without the right gear—I was drained before even arriving.

While I was navigating my own tragedies, I reflected on those in similar or even worse situations—immigrants trapped in toxic workplaces, unable to leave, burdened by vulnerability, and also sometimes even targeted exactly because they are immigrants.

I found out that for many, it is very usual that work is not just a livelihood, it’s a battlefield. A study published in Frontiers in Psychiatry in 2024 highlights how recent immigrants to Canada frequently experience bullying and discrimination from supervisors and coworkers. The study underscores a grim reality: quitting is often not an option when survival depends on that paycheck. Instead, many suffer in silence, victims of a cycle where financial insecurity, legal vulnerability, and mental health struggles reinforce each other.

How Workplace Mistreatment Affects Immigrants

It took me months to conclude that I was going through systematic bullying at my workplace. But I am not the only one, and I will certainly not be the last going through this at work. In 2022, the International Labour Organization (ILO), together with Lloyd’s Register Foundation and Gallup, launched the report Experiences of Violence and Harassment at Work: A global first survey, which concluded that “more than one in five people (almost 23 percent) in employment have experienced violence and harassment at work, whether physical, psychological or sexual, according to a new joint analysis”. Besides, 18 percent of employed men and women indicated having gone through psychological violence and harassment in their working lives. ILO confirms that migrant workers are amongst “the groups most likely to be affected by different types of violence and harassment.”

For an immigrant, it. implies the danger of being discriminated against and mistreated in their workplace due to their status as an immigrant. At the same time, workplace mistreatment, in all forms, invariably affects an immigrant’s perception of survival in the new country and their sense of worth as human beings.

On the one hand, it builds up on insecurities and challenges connected with the financial possibility of sustaining themselves, which is also inevitably interwoven with fear of deportation or lack of knowledge of their rights in many cases.

On the other hand, immigrants face a phenomenon called “acculturative stress” by default, which means “the level of psychosocial strain experienced by immigrants and their descendants in response to the immigration-related challenges (stressors) that they encounter as they adapt to life in a new country.”  

In this regard, a workplace for an immigrant is not only a means of material sustenance, but it is their first or one of their primary sources of community. “It is the bridge between survival and belonging,” as an Instagram post of the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, stated. Having that affected can push someone into a desperate void in which they are doubly victimized for additional vulnerabilities related to their legal status, language and cultural barriers, and financial need, and ultimately strip them of their sense of humanity as if they lacked any rights or guarantees. 

Dr. Christine Rivera, bilingual & bicultural licensed clinical psychologist tells HipLatina: “At its core, workplace mistreatment deeply affects an immigrant’s sense of worthiness. A job should provide more than just a paycheck—it should offer respect, recognition, and emotional stability. When an immigrant experiences abuse, bullying, and exclusion, often without the power to speak up or seek recourse, it reinforces a painful message: that worthiness is conditional. But they must remember that their value is not defined by external validation, but by their inherent dignity as human beings.”

When exposed to overt mistreatment and discrimination at work, immigrants can suffer verbal abuse —including offensive jokes about their nationality, accent, or perceived intelligence, public humiliation—calling them out in front of colleagues, especially for language difficulties or misunderstandings, threats and Intimidation connected with their immigration status, unfair assignment of hard or dangerous tasks, retaliation for complaints, salary discrimination, unjustified negative performance reviews, and sexual harassment.

These signs often interlace with what are considered the usual types of workplace bullying, which, according to  the National Workplace Bullying Coalition, include:

1- Exclusion and Isolation from social interactions connected with their duties,

2- Withholding Information or giving contradictory, inconsistent, or incomplete instructions, consequently blaming the worker for lack of understanding and mistakes,

3- Micromanagement and overly controlling behavior,

4- Changing Expectations Arbitrarily, such as removing crucial tasks with no proper explanation, replacing them with trivial or unpleasant ones, or having unrealistic deadlines and/or demands.

5- Passive-aggressiveness as a regular means to communicate,

6- Deliberate Overloading, such as giving heavier workloads without additional pay or support, or changing hours or schedules without time to accommodate,

7- Minimizing Contributions, which can mean discrediting ideas or skills,

8- Gaslighting, which means questioning someone’s perceptions or memory repeatedly.

Workplace Mistreatment is Not About You

While trying to work through my emotions, I had some conversations with an Argentine friend who is a psychologist with experience treating bullying victims. She gave me one crucial piece of information that apply to everyone going through it: bullying, harassment, and mistreatment happen as part of an institutional imbalance. Similarly, Ph.D Dorothy Suskind, member of the Research Team and Executive Board of the National Workplace Bullying Coalition, writes in a recent article published on Psychology Today that “workplace bullying is a type of degradation ceremony in which the target suffers a character assassination.”  Just as my friend confirmed, she writes, “workplace bullying is a communal act, not an individual problem.”

When undergoing profoundly stressful situations, your ability to endure is directly proportional to your ability to equip yourself with the mindset and tools to navigate them, according to the American Psychological Association (APA).

The Power of Reframing Negative Experiences

Many studies have stated the effectiveness of cognitive reframing, which has proven that changing how we interpret and talk to ourselves about negative events can reduce stress and improve coping mechanisms. In cases of bullying, instead of internalizing blame, it can be helpful to recognize that mistreatment is inherently unfair and beyond your control. As Dr. Rivera emphasizes, “[it] shouldn’t have happened in the first place, and recognizing that truth is a step toward reclaiming your strength.”

Strengthening Self-Worth

As indicated in Positive Psychology, “Take a look back at the list of what does not determine self-worth.” In this case, “Your job is one of the things that don’t define you or your worth,” but it should be sourced from the constant practice of self-love and self-appreciation for all that you are as a human being. In this path, the mission is to avoid self-doubt traps, such as the impostor syndrome, extra common among immigrants.

Building a Support Network

Find community. Expand your network as much as you can. Dr. Rivera, experienced in helping women immigrants, says this is crucial: “Without a strong support system, an immigrant facing workplace abuse may internalize these struggles, believing they are alone in their pain or that they must endure it in silence. But community changes everything. It provides validation and perspective, allowing us to externalize our struggles instead of letting them define our worth. It restores our humanity, fuels our resilience, and allows us to keep moving forward with dignity.”

Managing Stress and Anxiety with Self-Care

Self-care needs to be a daily decision, and it starts by believing you deserve to feel good.  Having a walk alone to reflect and do some self-talk, or a conversation with someone you trust can make a big difference. 

In this regard, Dr. Rivera asserts the value of not denying one’s feelings: “For many immigrants, the instinct when facing mistreatment at work is to suppress it. The focus is on survival, on getting through the day because there’s no time, money, or resources to focus on the pain. The pressure to ‘power through’ is immense. [But] the mistreatment gains more power when it remains in silence. The key is to address what you’re feeling even in small ways.” 

Another usual costless recommendation is taking time to do breathing exercises. As indicated by Scientific American Magazine, “proper breathing brings better help,” with a proven track record of its impact on stress reduction.

Educating Yourself on Rights and Resources

Knowledge is power. Understanding labor laws, anti-discrimination policies, and legal aid options can help you feel more in control. Connecting with NGOs devoted to workers’ defense such as National Employment Law Project can give you a scope of your rights and guarantees as an immigrant worker, despite your legal status. Additionally, documenting mistreatment when possible can also provide peace of mind in case you need to take legal action later.

Strengthening Assertiveness

If possible, calmly and respectfully push back on unfair treatment or unreasonable demands with a positive and clear attitude. Sometimes, small acts of self-advocacy can shift workplace dynamics. Rehearsing an assertive yet kind way to respond to toxic behavior can help you navigate difficult interactions more effectively.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Leaving a toxic workplace is often a long and painful process. Through this process, I learned that no matter how far out you think you are into the abyss, change, even when slow, is possible. By recognizing the patterns of mistreatment and discrimination, sharing with your community, looking for resources, and fostering emotional resilience, you can move toward environments that respect your dignity and worth as a human being. Dr. Rivera, herself the daughter of an immigrant, reminds all immigrants: “[As an immigrant], you deserve more than just endurance. You deserve to thrive.”