By Gemma Hartley — 2019
Effective strategies for discussing the invisible load you’re shouldering in the workplace.
Read on www.fastcompany.com
CLEAR ALL
Sadness is a central part of our lives, yet it’s typically ignored at work, hurting employees and managers alike.
Adessa Barker, a well-being practitioner and the host of the popular podcast, Attitude Changes Everything, spoke about the mental health of women entrepreneurs. Barker shared her insights on some common misconceptions associated with mental health and solutions to improve mental well-being.
Much like the struggle to recognize the economic contributions of childcare for stay-at-home parents, there could be a similar gap in the working world. The definition of emotional labor being used here is that of unpaid, invisible work.
When workers’ emotions deviate from what’s expected of their gender, they are often left to process the backlash on their own.
So many of the little rituals I have each day—like my makeup or skincare routine—do help soothe and/or rejuvenate me. For me, any type of solo practiced routine is good. But I’ve learned that self-care does not, and cannot, sustain me. And I believe that this may be the case for many of you.
We hear a lot about the struggles of working women and the notion that we can create some semblance of order between managing responsibilities at home and at work. It’s the elusive work/life balance every working woman longs to achieve.
1
COVID-19 is hard on women because the U.S. economy is hard on women, and this virus excels at taking existing tensions and ratcheting them up.
“The research is pretty clear that surface acting is almost always bad for you.”
All those little details, necessary but distinctly un-flashy, are sometimes referred to as “emotional labor.” In the workplace, that labor may include booking a room for a meeting, reserving an event space, or keeping morale going with a Secret Santa exchange.
It could be dragging down your job performance and psychological health.