OFFICE HOUSEWORK IS INVISIBLE - IT HAS TO BE DONE BUT IS VERY SELDOM APPRECIATED.

I worked for 14 years in the construction industry and it took me a really long time to notice the very different ways women would behave in certain circumstances compared to the men. And it goes without saying that the further up the career mountain you climb, women become fewer and farther between.

And I wasn’t the perfect innocent in this, I realised I was as guilty as the next woman! That’s why over time my career has shifted from that construction industry into helping other women who were stuck on their career progression and helping them to change behaviours that were potentially holding them back....and doing the office housework is one of those behaviours that probably needs addressing for a lot of career women!

Of all the women that I have worked with (or even just had a conversation with about what I do), the ‘office housework habit’ gets more apologetic looks and knowing nods of understanding than anything else I cover....

So what do I mean by Office Housework??

Well basically any task that you are not paid to do.....things like

• Taking minutes in meetings

• Ordering the sandwiches

• Organising the drinks in a meeting

• Tidying the stationery cupboard

• Doing the washing up

• Cleaning the kitchen

• Collecting the visitors from reception

• Emptying the bins

• Watering the plants

• Answering the phone mid meeting

More often than not we don’t even realise we are doing these things, and they are usually not a one off, we do them time and time again until it is just expected.

I know we want to be helpful, nice, liked....but your boss needs to know that you are a leader, not a supporter - you need to be sending out the right messages and ‘office mum’ isn’t it!

Office housework is a bit like real housework - it’s invisible - it has to be done but is very seldom appreciated... however the solution is not as easy as to stop doing it because for women, much more so than men, refusing to do it can equally hold us back....

Why is that?

It all comes back to value systems and deep rooted expectations of men and women and how they should behave which leads to undetected gender bias in the workplace.

Women are traditionally the supportive partner, putting the needs of others first so when we refuse to fit that gender mould, it upsets our expectations somewhere we don’t even recognise - it doesn’t FEEL good - and interestingly we are likely to receive equal backlash from male and female colleagues for not fitting into that supportive role.

So what do we do about it?

First of all, we can’t carry on doing it.........because to carry on the chores just continues the perpetuated message and that leads to a blocker to progression.

And as we know, a flat refusal doesn’t do a lot to enhance your chances of promotion SO I would encourage anyone who has realised they are putting in a bit (or a lot) of office housework to think about the tasks in one of these ways:

#1 Has it become an assumed duty because you always do it?

If it has, you need to get a rotation system in place, for example if you always take the notes, at the next meeting take them but say ‘from now on we need to rotate who takes the notes’ if you are challenged, you just need to remind everyone that while you are taking notes you are not fully contributing to the meeting and you are missing opportunities to speak (which can also lead people to assume you don’t contribute which could hold you back).

If no-one wants to take the notes, you need to push for a person not usually included in the meeting to come in and take the notes. It is not your job and it does you no favours!

#2 What is the value of your extra (unpaid) duties??

Could you put a monetary value on the extra duties you do? If so, write a new job description including all of the things you currently do which are not on your original JD and use it to present a case for a pay rise. RESPONSIBILITY should EQUAL REWARD!

#3 What is the cost of the extra duties to your organisation.... and to you?

If you are a Manager or Senior Manager and you are busy doing the sandwich run for a meeting, chances are the organisation could find a more appropriate person to do those tasks (you have enough to do already) - you may also like to point out how much more cost effective for the organisation this could be....by doing this you also free up your own work time leading to you having enough time in your working day to do what you need to do, so you get to go home on time and protect your work-life-self balance!

Any of these approaches will change how you communicate your refusal to do the office housework so instead of sounding like a flat refusal, you are simply pointing out there is a better way for the chores to be achieved. Not only will this prevent alienation, it will also break the expectation on you.

Three things to remember:

1. No one will stop it for you. No-one is going to turn around and say, do you know what, you always make the drinks, let me do it instead.

2. A flat refusal will have equal backlash - it’s a reasoned approach to doing things differently (a feminine ‘no’ if you will!)

3. Yes I said work-life-self balance.