It’s hard to show recognition for something we can’t even see.
Too much invisible labor is being done in the workplace. And it’s high time our unsung heroes get the recognition they deserve. Here are the types of invisible labor happening today.
Modern Mentor is hosted by Rachel Cooke. A transcript is available at Simplecast.
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Hey, it’s Rachel Cooke, your Modern Mentor. I’m the founder of Lead Above Noise—a firm specializing in helping teams and organizations create employee experiences that keep talent engaged.
You know, one thing that really helps drive engagement is recognition. Just showing our talent that their efforts are seen—are appreciated and valued—goes a long way. A lot of companies do this well. When they see something great happen, they celebrate it.
The issue is, though, that a lot of amazing things are happening that are kind of… invisible. And it’s hard to show recognition for something we can’t even see.
In 2018, journalist Gemma Hartley wrote a book called Fed Up: Emotional Labor, Women, and the Way Forward. And this book opened up a conversation specifically about women—and how society and often individual households run smoothly only when women are picking up slack that others may not consider or see.
Agree or disagree with Hartley’s assertion, the reality is some of this same stuff is playing out at work. And I’m hearing about it from clients, friends, and partners.
Now granted, sometimes an occasion calls for someone to step up, outside of their lane, and pick up a piece of slack they hadn’t planned for. But when it happens on repeat, and a team or organization is unknowingly relying on that person’s invisible efforts, then something’s gotta give.
Today I want to acknowledge some of these groups I’m seeing carrying the extra load. And let’s talk about how we can better support and recognize them.
1. Our “Second-Shift Advocates”
Maybe your organization has a Diversity Recruitment strategy. Maybe it has Employee Resource Groups for non-majority employees. Maybe it’s brought in anti-bias training. Hopefully, it’s doing something.
For any organization to “do” Diversity effectively—like, giving it substance and action and support rather than just lip service and press releases—the organization absolutely needs the engagement of its diverse employees.
Whether that’s employees of specific ethnicities or LGBTQ+ employees or neurodiverse employees, members of those groups must be willing to step up—to share voices and perspectives and experiences and suggested actions for the organization to succeed in supporting and empowering them.
But here’s the problem. That takes time. And thought and energy. It can take a real toll.
And that’s just the formal stuff. There are also those moments throughout the day when a colleague just wants to “run something by” a diverse colleague for a sensitivity check. Or get a diverse perspective on a pitch or campaign before hitting send. To make sure it’ll resonate. Or want to check on whether it’s OK to use a particular word or a phrase.
It's all well-intended. But it’s work! And we need to recognize it as work. To give space in the day (which may mean taking other work off their plates) to give recognition and appreciation, and to regularly check in with employees being asked to play this role. Not everyone wants to be an advocate, a representative, or “the voice” of people with a similar attribute. And that too has to be OK.
2. Our “Naturals”
As in, the ones naturally great at—leading or planning or financial modeling or speaking or writing or organizing… and on and on.
We—like the royal we—can sometimes default to assuming that when someone’s great at something, doing that thing is easy—even effortless—for them.
One of my clients is a great presenter. Like one of the best I’ve seen. So guess who gets sent to every recruiting event and every conference they’re sponsoring? Oh, I think you know.
He’s great at it. And he does enjoy it. But it’s not effortless. It takes time—to plan and practice. To travel and deliver. It takes energy and creativity. And sometimes he just wants to sit one out.
We’ve all likely been guilty at some point of leaning on a natural without recognizing how much we’re asking of them. So let’s all take a look around us and see—who have we been over-tapping without giving them the tools, time, resources, and appreciation they may need? Or worse, without asking if they’re willing and able to take the thing on?
3. Our “Free Agents”
I’ve talked in previous episodes about the importance of not making assumptions about people’s ambitions or capabilities based on their life circumstances. Like, don’t assume a working parent doesn’t want that promotion. Or don’t assume that part-time student doesn’t want that full-time job.
But this same idea works in the other direction as well. I’ve seen teams over-rely on people who they assume have plenty of time to take on more. Because they’re not married, don’t have children, aren’t in school, have empty-nested. Choose your reason.
Assumptions about our personal lives and how that impacts when or how much we work just aren’t OK.
“John can take that midnight call—he doesn’t have kids to deal with in the morning.” Or “Sanjay just graduated—he’s used to working nights.” These aren’t serving anyone—least of all John and Sanjay.
We are all equally deserving of the right to set and manage our boundaries. This is key to mental health and wellness. Always ask before you assume.
4. Our “Humble Among Us”
I remember when my kids were little and they started playing soccer. They judged themselves in every game by the number of goals they themselves scored.
Only as they got older did they begin to appreciate the value of an assist—that when you get the ball in front of someone else who ultimately puts it in the goal, you’re actually both heroes.
Sometimes I wish the workplace would take a lesson from soccer. Because we’re not always amazing at seeing the assists for what they are.
Often, there’s someone on the team silently, invisibly, doing the enabling things that ultimately help the others score goals. They’re the ones running maintenance checks on the system, or just handling the little customer service issues that arise or confirming the logistics for next week’s client meeting.
And almost always, the people thoughtful enough to do these things are also too humble to seek the credit or recognition they deserve.
So let’s all commit to being on the lookout for these unsung heroes. And let’s start singing them.
If any of these avatars describe someone on your team, then hit pause and go rock a big old thank you.
And if you’re hearing a bit of yourself in any of these personas, then please know you deserve to be seen and supported. So go ask for what you need—time, support, resources—and know you’re absolutely entitled to it!
Join me next week for another great episode. Until then, visit my website at leadabovenoise.com if your organization is looking to dial up its Employee Experience or deliver some leadership development that activates change. You can follow Modern Mentor on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Find and follow me on LinkedIn. Thanks so much for listening and have a successful week.