Reasons Why Women Should Say No To Thankless Office Tasks

Often women workers find themselves performing office tasks which are not just below their pay grade but also are not part of their portfolio. These are usually chores which other people have dodged and hurled their way. Women feel they have no option other than to perform them. However, we can give you five reasons why you must say no to these thankless office tasks.

WHAT ARE THANKLESS TASKS?

These are usually the tasks that involve a great deal of hard work but earn the performer very little or no rewards and acknowledgment. This can be anything in the office: organising parties, decluttering, just anything. In modern-day organisations, the number of women doing these tasks is more as compared to men. It seems like gender politics is at play here. Hence, women should learn to say “No”.

REASONS TO SAY NO

1) Does not lead to career advancement 

Doing a thankless task at the office will not lead to the development of an individual as a worker. These tasks are just extra workload that many women often volunteer to do. These tasks do not even help in their personal growth. So it is just a sheer waste of time to do them.

Doing a thankless task at the office will not lead to the development of an individual as a worker.

2) Increases gender gap

Although the perception of people is changing but there still are a lot of organizations that are are riddled with gender bias. So when a thankless task is on the agenda, the men automatically take a step back and women are left with no choice. The employers may think that someone or the other has to do so why can’t she? But this creates a perception in the mind of the male co-workers that even when any such tasks comes their way the next time, women employees should take that up. It creates a divide in the distribution of labor and a gendered perception about office duties, which furthers the gender gap at a workplace. So if you want the divide to be reduced then you have to learn to say no to a thankless task.

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3) Creates low morale among women

If someone is made to do any tasks that is not even serving the basic purpose of joining the organisation, then the person may feel demotivated. Also, their morale will also stoop down and they may not be able to focus on other important duties. As a result the organisation as a whole might suffer.

4) Waste of time

Women employees are hired on basis of their qualifications and what all they bring to both their position and the organisation. By making them perform trivial chores, the employers infact end up wasting theirs and their employees valuable time, which could have been put use on a more productive chore. The productivity of the organisation will naturally decrease when hardworking employees channelise their efforts into trivial tasks.

Unpaid work like this, which doesn't come associated with any designation must be divided equally among the employees, irrespective of post and gender.

5) Does not lead to advancement in skills or career

Of course, every person whether a man or woman joins the organisation with some basic objectives. One of the most important objectives is to advance your career, both in terms of skills and the position that you hold. But when women take up these tasks they don’t get any appreciation for them. It’s just voluntary work that they have to do. So doing work which doesn’t even enhance your skills or add any value to your profile doesn't actually make much sense.

So then who will do all these so-called thankless chores in the office? Unpaid work like this, which doesn't come associated with any designation must be divided equally among the employees, irrespective of post and gender. It can infact become a team bonding activity which can even bring the staff closer to each other. Who knows, realising how much effort goes into decluttering or organising birthday parties, may in fact instigate a sense of respect for those who perform these duties voluntarily among everyone.

Image Credit: LiveMint

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The views expressed are the author's own.