“Invisible Work” Conducted By Women Is Going Largely Unnoticed

Women are still experiencing the bulk of pandemic-related burnout according to findings from McKinsey’s Women in the Workplace report.  

While the past nearly two years has forced women to take on extra work to help boost their wellbeing of their colleagues, it’s the “invisible” labor that is going unnoticed. 

“This mission-critical work is in danger of being relegated to ‘office housework’: Necessary tasks and activities that benefit the company but go unrecognized, are underappreciated, and don’t lead to career advancement,” said Marianne Cooper, co-author of the report. 

Notably, women leaders are more likely to experience work-related stress and exhaustion compared to men in similar roles, and 40% are considering quitting or shifting to part-time hours. 

Seven in 10 companies claim that work completed promoting diversity, inclusion and equity is “very” or “extremely critical.” 

Despite this, less than one-quarter of companies appear to recognize or reward the “after hours” work women are conducting, even during the weekends and while on vacation. 

Even more, the report shows that women, and particularly women of color, are underrepresented in leadership roles. 

More specifically, only 86 women are promoted to manager for every 100 men promoted, and women of color represent just 4% of C-suite executive roles.