What is a manager's role when someone on your team is the only minority? How can that person's manager create an equitable, high-performing work environment that welcomes them?

First, managers must understand that such a circumstance can be deeply stressful for that person. Regardless of whether the difference is visible or invisible, by race, ethnicity, gender, cultural background, or ability, it creates a burden. Being “the only one” on a team can heighten pressure, trigger constant self-monitoring, and foster a persistent sense of being under scrutiny.

For an example of how that burden manifests, consider the situation in the United States. The US has one of the largest and most diverse labour markets globally, with a workforce of over 167 million people and a population in which nearly 42% identify as part of a racial or ethnic minority. Yet a 2022 study confirmed that 58% of Black, Asian, and Latinx employees in the U.S. feel they must stay consistently “on guard” at work to anticipate and protect against bias or discrimination.

Most concerning, 38% of these employees were more likely to consider leaving their jobs. This hypervigilance—rooted in underrepresentation and bias—has been linked to disrupted sleep, hypertension, and elevated cortisol levels, leading to poorer health and performance outcomes at the individual level. At the organisational level, the consequences are lost productivity, disengagement, and turnover.

As a manager, recognizing these dynamics is essential. When someone is the only minority in a team—whether visibly or not—the pressure to represent their entire identity group can be emotionally exhausting. They may feel scrutinized, isolated, or expected to assimilate. Without thoughtful support, this experience often leads to disengagement or attrition.

It's not just about race

These challenges extend beyond race and ethnicity. Gendered exclusion also remains a persistent issue. Globally, women’s participation in the labor force continues to lag behind men’s. According to the World Economic Forum’s 2024 Global Gender Gap Report, women account for 66.7% of the labor force participation rate across the countries analyzed, while men account for over 80%. ILOSTAT data from 2023 shows a global gender gap of 27.5 percentage points among individuals aged 25 to 54. Even in OECD countries, where participation is higher, women’s labor force participation averages just 67.1%, compared to 81% for men.

Another often-overlooked group within workplace inclusion is persons with disabilities, who constitute a significant global minority—around one billion people, or 15% of the world’s population. Despite this, their right to decent work is frequently denied. According to the ILO (2023), people with disabilities experience a labour force participation rate 30% lower than their non-disabled counterparts. Young people with disabilities are twice as likely to be NEET—Not in Education, Employment, or Training—compared to their peers. Even when employed, they are overrepresented in informal jobs and face a persistent disability wage gap, especially pronounced for women. Moreover, only 33.5% of those with severe disabilities globally have access to adequate social protection.

These inequities underscore the need for managers and organizations to actively foster belonging, opportunity, and support for employees with disabilities—not as an afterthought, but as part of core leadership practice.

More than just acknowledging difference

Managing the only minority on your team means creating space for psychological safety, equitable development, and shared responsibility. It requires intentional leadership, sustained curiosity, and a willingness to ask: How can I ensure this person feels seen, valued, and supported, not despite their difference, but because of it?

A few examples of strategies that work can be found in early efforts made to support women in tech, who are still prone to becoming "the only one" on the team despite strides made in the industry. At an individual level, for example, managers can help the person to build internal networks: setting up a mentorship or sponsorship arrangement, arranging for their participation in an employee resource group or creating one.

At a team level, managers need to encourage inclusive behaviour from the person's colleagues, and address issues such as microaggressions quickly. Educating team members, if needed, is the manager's responsibility.

At a structural level, managers need to monitor their own treatment of the team member, ensuring they themselves do not fall into the trap of singling the person out in some way that is not strictly performance-based. Data and well-structured review techniques can be particularly useful here.