The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has caused a fundamental shift in the work culture globally. The new ‘hybrid’ way of working was believed by experts to improve gender diversity and reduce the much-needed divide. But the recent findings by McKinsey & Company suggest otherwise. According to the key findings in the Women in the Workplace Report 2021 by McKinsey & Company, and the women’s campaign group, LeanIn.org, the pandemic has seen women take on extra work to support the wellbeing and inclusion of their colleagues. But this has proven to be ‘invisible’ labour as companies aren’t recognising or rewarding their efforts.
Women are working harder, getting more burned out – but their efforts are being overlooked. 42 per cent of women say they have been often or almost always burned out in 2021 as compared to 32 per cent in 2020, reveals the report.
Women managers quoted in the Women in the Workplace Report state that they are undertaking “emotional labour”, “after hours in the evenings, on weekends and on vacation” – but their efforts are being “taken for granted,” and there’s no formal recognition. Almost 40 per cent have considered quitting work or opting for part-time hours.
The concept of invisible labour and ‘office housework’ by women is prevalent because of stereotypes that position women as natural ‘caregivers’. Therefore when a woman manager gives emotional support to her team member, it is overlooked as ‘caregiving’ rather than crisis management, believes report co-author Marianna Cooper in an article for Harvard Business Review.
The report has also highlighted how the impact of COVID-19 had delayed the likely timetable to gender parity by a generation, from 99.5 years to 135.6 years. On this measure, it will take another 267.6 years to close the gender gap.
While the study brings forward crucial situations like high-sky burnout due to the prevalence of invisible labour, it also puts a key focus on the need for companies to take bold steps to address this burnout. Being recognised and valued is the first step towards bringing about a positive change.