Hasnain says:

This was some of the toughest stuff I did as a manager, and it was still something I wasn’t great at. I was (thankfully) recognized for it, but to see this play out differently for others is infuriating. What’s the point of doing anything else if the team isn’t healthy and well supported in tough times like this?

“The concepts of invisible labor and office housework put a spotlight on a societal reluctance to value work that is predominantly done by women. This happens because such work is often conflated with assumptions about what women are naturally good at or interested in. And women are not rewarded for capacities and concerns deemed to be intrinsic. Therefore, when a woman manager provides team members with emotional support during a time of societal crises, it can be overlooked as “caretaking” instead of being recognized as strong crisis management. When a Black woman manager hosts a panel on anti-racism in the wake of racial violence, she can be applauded for her “passion” but not rewarded for her time, leadership, or DEI acumen. Moreover, since recognition and reward are the markers of valuable work, that women leaders’ efforts are going unnoticed and unrewarded effectively renders it low status. Of course, women have always done this work. But in a time of intense social upheaval, amidst a global pandemic and a national reckoning on racism, there is much more of this work to be done. And getting it done matters even more to a company’s prospects.”

Posted on 2021-10-17T19:59:23+0000