Invisible Labor

I hate to say it, but we live in a world where “he who speaks loudest wins“. Data shows that extroverts and those who talk more in meetings actually out-earn introverts significantly.

It doesn’t stop there, but leaders consistently reward only the most obvious outputs rather than the layers of work beneath it. 

And those doing all that invisible work unrecognized and unpaid? They’re pretty sick of it.

The Three Layers of Labor

The term “Invisible Labor” typically refers to work done to run and maintain a household so let’s use a simple example we’re probably all familiar with.

1. 💪 Actual Labor or Physical Labor

   This refers to tangible, hands-on work that requires physical effort. It involves tasks that are visible and often produce immediate, observable results, such as cleaning, cooking, repairing, or moving objects. Physical labor is typically easier to recognize and quantify than other forms of labor.
   

2. 🧠 Mental Load

   Mental load encompasses the invisible cognitive work of managing, planning, and organizing daily life. It includes keeping track of tasks, anticipating needs, making decisions, and coordinating various aspects of work or home life. This type of labor is often ongoing and can be mentally taxing, yet it frequently goes unnoticed by others.
   

3. ❤️ Emotional Labor

   Emotional labor involves managing one's own emotions and the emotions of others to meet the expectations of a role or situation. It includes tasks like maintaining a positive demeanor in challenging circumstances, providing emotional support, and navigating interpersonal dynamics. This form of labor can be psychologically demanding and is often underrecognized in both professional and personal contexts.

Refilling the hand soap

This is a task that is easily written off, takes a short period of time to complete, and is rarely seen unless the task is caught in the action. It may seem like a silly and easy task, but that’s only because you’re looking at the tip of the iceberg.

1. 💪 Actual Labor
   This is the task itself - getting the soap from storage, pouring it into the pump, trying not to make a mess, cleaning it up if it makes a mess, and potentially servicing the little pumps so they don’t get gross and gunky.

2. 🧠 Mental Load
   This is the added cognitive aspect - you might notice the soap is low, make a mental note that it needs refilling, check on the storage refill amounts, add it to a shopping list, and account for it in household expenses.

3. ❤️ Emotional Labor
   This is the effort of managing the emotional impact of the task - is the fragrance one that the family likes? If I don’t complete this task, will any guests who come over have a bad experience of being unable to wash their hands when they want?

Shoutout to TikTok creator zachthinkshare for the great handsoap analogy.

Implementing a new software tool

Even with the smallest software or tool implementation, there are a lot of layers of labor to make this happen. Yet leaders often recognize the end of the project being the shipping of the software and not the rest.

1. 💪 Actual Labor
   This is the task itself - installing the software on multiple machines or environments, physically attending meetings and training sessions, creating support materials, reorganizing workspace to accommodate new processes

2. 🧠 Mental Load
   This is the added cognitive aspect - researching and comparing software options, planning the implementation timeline, tracking who is trained and when, constantly thinking about potential problems and solutions, keep everybody updated on progress, maintaining the software updates and new features

3. ❤️ Emotional Labor
   This is the effort of managing the emotional impact of the task - managing resistance to change from colleagues, addressing concerns and anxieties with the new software, maintaining patience when repeating the same concepts repeatedly, handling frustrations when things don’t go as planned, mediating conflicts that arise due to changing processes, projecting confidence in a new system even when facing challenges, empathizing with users who struggle with the transition

The cost of invisible labor

The cost of invisible labor in the workplace can be significant and multifaceted.

Direct Costs

1. 📉 Reduced productivity: When employees spend time on unrecognized tasks, it can detract from their primary responsibilities.

2. 😮‍💨 Burnout: Constant engagement in invisible labor can lead to exhaustion and decreased job satisfaction.

3. 🙃 Turnover: Employees who feel their efforts are unrecognized may seek opportunities elsewhere.

4. ⚖️ Inequality: Invisible labor often falls disproportionately on certain groups, potentially exacerbating workplace disparities.

5. 🚢 Missed opportunities: Time spent on invisible tasks could be used for innovation or skill development.

Increased Risks

1. 😥 Decreased morale: When efforts go unrecognized, it can lead to resentment and disengagement.

2. 🐢 Inefficiency: Without proper acknowledgment, invisible tasks may be duplicated or poorly coordinated.

3. 😅 Stress and health issues: The added pressure of invisible labor can contribute to workplace stress and related health problems.

4. 🙏 Undervaluation of skills: Important soft skills may be overlooked in performance evaluations and promotion decisions.

5. 🙅 Cultural issues: A workplace that doesn't recognize invisible labor may develop a culture of overwork and underappreciation.

Are you recognizing invisible labor?

Signs that you don’t

• 🔫 Silver bullet mentality
  Believing that things will get better when that one piece of software is shipped or that one hire is made rather than the true root cause analysis of issues in the workplace

• 🔥 Celebrating firefighting
  Recognizing those that scramble and get tasks across a finish line rather than those who keep the lights on or consistently grow and succeed without drama or upsets in the first place

• 👀 Rewarding only the tangible
  Lack of comprehensive performance metrics that primarily focus on easily quantifiable outcomes while ignoring softer skills and behind-the-scenes work

Signs that you do

• 💰️ Equitable workload distribution and compensation
  Actively work to distribute tasks evenly and compensate fairly. Regular workload audits, transparent task allocation processes, or adjusted compensation models that account for non-traditional contributions.

• 🧘 Rewarding stability and proactivity
  Highlighting teams that have foresight, prediction, and sustainable work practices and processes. Not everybody has to be a risk-taking, rocket-building, firefighter - it’s not realistic, required, or even beneficial in most cases.

• 🤝 Cultural emphasis on collaboration and support
  Foster a company culture that values and rewards supportive behaviors rather than financial or performance outcomes

How many times have you taken the time to really look around and notice lately? Let’s flex that muscle this week.