After months and months of discussions and complaints, our male boss finally seemed to hear his predominantly female staff’s concerns that a disproportionate number of “upkeep” tasks in the office were falling onto us. In typical nonprofit fashion, there was always lots to do and not always great communication around who was supposed to do it. We began to realize that these tasks almost always ended up falling to the women, either because we were asked or because it would not get done otherwise. Without a dedicated office manager, IT, or even HR, the time and effort required to complete such tasks were significant, unappreciated and detrimental to the other work we had to do.
From buying the retirement gift, to taking notes during meetings, to organizing the annual retreat, we took care of it. Without thanks or often notice. But since it always got taken care of, it seemed to work. It seemed normal. This was a nonprofit, after all, and the blurred lines and busyness were just a part of it. And since many nonprofits (including ours) are staffed mostly by women, it is not always noticeable when women are doing all of the extra work. But over time, it became impossible to ignore, particularly on the executive team, because there were lots of men on the executive team, yet it was still the women who were doing all the extra work.
We started to discuss it amongst ourselves. When we felt sufficiently validated, we shared our concerns with our male boss. Ultimately, again and again and again. And finally, after months and months of discussions and conversations, our boss appeared to understand. He decided to take the first step and lead by example- he was going to take care of the food for our next all-day meeting. A small but significant victory, and one less hectic morning for one of the women to battle DC traffic and parking to take care of it.
When the day of the meeting came, everyone settled in, and the women, at least this woman, felt a little bit different. Hopeful even. This was a potential turning point in the dynamics of the office. By taking care of this task that had previously been handled by the women, our boss was sending the message that there was a new regime. We were hopeful that this would spark the change we so desperately needed.
With excitement and anticipation, we eagerly awaited our boss’ arrival. As he walked through the door, I noticed smiles and knowing glances among the women. And quickly, looks of concern and curiosity. Because our boss arrived with one plastic grocery bag. There were eight of us, and we had been promised lunch.
As our boss began to take the items out of the grocery bag, the women silently but loudly and collectively laughed, sighed, and died a little inside. All that was inside was a big old hunk of cheese and a box of crackers. No plates. No napkins. And no knife. That was the gesture. As empty as our stomachs would now be.
It is an all too common dynamic, especially in the social service world. A staff composed almost entirely of women with a male boss and some other men sprinkled throughout. These men, traditionally and statistically, are far less likely to be asked or volunteer to take on such office upkeep tasks, often referred to as non-promotable tasks (NPTs) as they do nothing to enhance your career while taking up a lot of your time.
This disproportionate allocation of extra work is not unique to majority-female offices, however. This dynamic holds true in offices of any gender distribution.
The researchers and authors of the book, The No Club, found that, on average, women spend about two hundred more hours per year than their male colleagues on these non-promotable tasks. Per year. This breaks down to roughly an extra hour per day that women are spending on tasks that are not helping their careers and instead are mostly harming them.
These tasks tend to fall into the categories of supporting and celebrating staff (e.g., buying the retirement gift, having everyone sign the birthday card) and general office organization (e.g., taking notes at a meeting, reserving the conference room). But they can show up in any number of tasks throughout the day.
To determine if something falls into the broad category of NPTs, the authors list three main requirements. The task:
- Is not instrumental to the organization’s mission
- Is not visible to others
- Does not require any special skill
The implications of women taking on a disproportionate number of these NPTs are far-reaching of course. Not only could these hours be better spent in far more valuable ways, the perception and image of a person’s value shifts and is shifted by who is asking whom to do what.
It is not only male bosses or colleagues who are perpetuating this. In fact, the gender of the asker is irrelevant to how much women are being asked to do these tasks, on average, 44% more than men.
As an organizational leader, it is important that you are aware of these data and how they might reflect what is going on at your own organization. But awareness is, as always, only the first step. As a leader, it is essential that you are creating and driving a culture that provides equal opportunity for staff to grow and focus on their strengths.
There are many situations in which NPTs are helpful if not necessary to the functioning of your organization. The goal is not to eliminate them altogether. Instead, the goal is to make sure they are equally distributed so everyone is doing their share and no on is being held back because of it.
The best way for you to gauge what this currently looks like on your team is to talk to your team members and listen to their experiences. Who is being asked to do what? Who is volunteering? What tasks need to be done by someone but are not assigned to any particular someone. What are the implications of this? Where is there frustration?
You will need to move to solutions at some point, but do not rush to them. Make sure you are taking the time to listen and do your best to understand what your staff’s experiences have been. Own up to your role in this and the harm this has caused.
Once you are ready to move onto the solution phase, work with your team to produce a strategy. It may make sense to eliminate some tasks and assign others. Others still may be best completed on a rotating basis. It may be time to hire someone to take care of them. Whatever you decide, decide it together and be open to checking in and adjusting your plan over time.
As staff come and go there will be a natural shift in people’s skills and preferences. As best you can, incorporate those skills and preferences into who is responsible for what.
Creating change is never fast or easy, but that is not reason enough to avoid it. Understand that shifting culture is more than just shifting tasks. The disproportionate work of NPTs is the result of established organizational culture and deep-seated biases. It will take time and intention to to shift these. But be careful not to use this as an excuse. Change is slow but it should always be moving forward. Hearing over and over again that change takes time when there is no proof that anything is changing at all will only continue to frustrate your staff.
It may not be easy or comfortable, and that is okay. Doing the right thing rarely is.
