One of the things that can hold women back at work is devoting too much time to what has been called “office housework” or “invisible work”. These are the tasks that make the wheels on the bus go round and round (as the children’s song goes) yet don’t count when performance evaluation time comes around. They include planning the team offsite, on-ramping new employees or taking notes at the meeting — certainly not an exhaustive list, but you get the idea.
The challenge women face is that they are expected to do these kinds things by both men and other women. And, to make matters even more complicated, many women are very good at them. At the same time, when they spend time on them, they are not accomplishing other, more visible and highly valued tasks which can mean missing out on financial opportunity. What to do? Of course, it depends on the particular situation but the goal is to do your fair share — and no more.
