Female employees are conditioned to be agreeable, to avoid conflict and to be helpful. That is why, when it comes to requests to undertake additional work tasks it can be hard to refuse. It feels uncomfortable and counter-intuitive when we are so often used to saying ‘yes’ and being people-pleasers.
That’s why I was eager to read ‘The No Club: Putting a Stop to Women’s Dead-End work.’ The book explores women’s reluctance to reject work requests and also provides a range of strategies to make it easier to do so.
Here I highlight and reflect on the some of the challenges that accompany agreeing to take on work which doesn’t automatically contribute to career progression.
Non-promotable tasks (NTPs)
All organisations, without exception, have work that needs to be done but which doesn’t directly contribute towards career progression-Non-Promotable Tasks, or NPTs. These range from the mundane….leaving collections and events…through to serving on committees. They can include onboarding of new staff, being a mentor for less experienced staff, contributing to others’ recruitment panels or helping to cover work for an absent colleague. There will be many and varied examples you can think of that will fit your own professional context.
All this work is important and needs to be done. However, it’s often women who volunteer- or who find they are asked to undertake this work. If women over-volunteer, this can potentially inhibit career progression.
Context
The context- which sector/organisation you work in, the organisational culture and the stage of career you are at, will all play a part in your willingness to contribute to NTPs. If you are a new recruit, you’ll understandably want to impress others with your enthusiasm and to demonstrate collegiality.
If you are an academic, investing time in NTPs may be viewed as a distraction from research by those who will be assessing your application for promotion.
If you are engaged in activities which don’t demonstrate impact on the organisational bottom line or strategic priorities, your application may be less convincing than those who have invested more time on this work.
Conundrum
But what if you want to be involved in the activity you’ve been asked to do? For example, you may really enjoy mentoring less experienced staff and become known for doing this skilfully. You might find the activities you engage in shape your career direction. So you may welcome them. Alternatively you may decide having mentored 2 or 3 staff that it’s time someone else took a turn, so that you don’t simply become the go-to person each time a mentor is sought.
You may relish the suggestion that you would develop valuable experience by taking committee meeting minutes. However, check how much time this will take and over how long a period you would be expected to undertake the role. These activities can be very time-consuming.
The indispensability factor
There is a risk that by developing skills in NTPs mean you become indispensable. This may make your line manager or department reluctant to ‘let you go’ if a promotional opportunity comes along. The double-bind: women often enjoy being appreciated as the go-to person for a specific skill area…the only one who knows how to do something. You can become comfortable and more reluctant to leave a role where you are highly valued. Be aware therefore, that your indispensability may mean you’re missing out on promotional opportunities.
Future ‘No’ posts
In future posts I’ll explore:
- How to identify the NTPs in your own organisation and ensure you don’t take on more than your fair share
- Explore different ways to say ‘No’ without limiting your career prospects
- The counterpoint: How to use NTPs to your professional advantage
Saying no isn’t easy but it’s a required skill if you wish to have any degree of focus in your life. If you say yes too often, you’ll likely fall into the common trap of saying yes to the good while simultaneously saying no to the best.
Steve Pavlina
