u/DutyExpensive6402

I’m an immigrant woman working in a corporate role in Canada, and over the last 5 months I’ve really struggled with workplace social dynamics in a way that’s affecting me emotionally more than I expected.

It’s not overt bullying or anything obvious, but there’s a small group within my team that consistently feels cold and closed off toward me while being warm and social with everyone else. Things like conversations dying when I join, lack of engagement, never really being included socially, uncomfortable body language, etc. Over time it’s made me feel very isolated and hyper-aware of myself.

What hurts more is seeing other newer employees integrate so naturally and quickly form close workplace friendships, while I still feel like I haven’t found “my people” at all despite making effort to engage.

I’m also the only one in that group who:

grew up outside Canada

has an Indian accent

is culturally newer to the environment

So I keep wondering whether this is:

subtle cultural mismatch,

unconscious bias,

or just normal clique behavior that I’m taking too personally because connection matters deeply to me.

I know workplaces aren’t meant to guarantee friendship, but I genuinely didn’t expect to feel this lonely in a professional environment.

Would really appreciate hearing from other immigrants/South Asians in Western workplaces. Have you experienced this kind of subtle exclusion or difficulty integrating socially at work?

TL;DR: Immigrant Indian woman in Canada feeling subtly excluded socially by a small group at work while others seem to integrate easily. Wondering if this is something other immigrants/South Asians have experienced too.

I’m an immigrant woman working in a corporate role in Canada, and over the last 5 months I’ve really struggled with workplace social dynamics in a way that’s affecting me emotionally more than I expected.

It’s not overt bullying or anything obvious, but there’s a small group within my team that consistently feels cold and closed off toward me while being warm and social with everyone else. Things like conversations dying when I join, lack of engagement, never really being included socially, uncomfortable body language, etc. Over time it’s made me feel very isolated and hyper-aware of myself.

I’m also the only one in that group who:

grew up outside Canada

has an Indian accent

is culturally newer to the environment

So I keep wondering whether this is:

subtle cultural mismatch,

unconscious bias,

or just normal clique behavior that I’m taking too personally because connection matters deeply to me.

I know workplaces aren’t meant to guarantee friendship, but I genuinely didn’t expect to feel this lonely in a professional environment.

Would really appreciate hearing from other immigrants/South Asians in Western workplaces. Have you experienced this kind of subtle exclusion or difficulty integrating socially at work?

TL;DR: Immigrant Indian woman in Canada feeling subtly excluded socially by a small group at work while others seem to integrate easily. Wondering if this is something other immigrants/South Asians have experienced too.