Every office has non-promotable work that needs to be done, including tasks like planning birthday parties, organizing happy hours, and taking out the trash. While your team appreciates these things being done and they contribute to the overall culture of your workplace, performing these duties won’t get you promoted the same way expanding revenue streams will. 

Unfortunately, non-promotable work is disproportionately assigned to and completed by women in the workplace, directly impacting their career trajectory and finances. Research from the Harvard Business Review found that women were 48% more likely to volunteer for a task than men in mixed-gender groups. However, when groups were separated by gender, men and women had similar rates of volunteering — implying that there’s a shared expectation for women to volunteer for an unfavorable task.

It may seem beneficial to volunteer for any task at work, but non-promotable work outside of your job description is of little interest to management and doesn’t really help your company grow. If you’re looking to advance your career, your first step is to ask your manager what they’re looking for from you. In some cases, you may need to expand your skillset. Consider boot camps, conferences, and classes you can attend. If your employer is looking for someone who is proactive, then dive into the numbers and read up on industry trends to build impressive forecasting reports. You should also look for project opportunities that offer a high return on investment and chances to work with the company’s high-level managers.

Those who volunteer for committees and office maintenance tasks are redirecting their time from their high value, daily responsibilities to low-value office maintenance projects — which may ultimately hinder their quarterly reviews, visibility in the workplace, and their chances for promotions and raises. Invest your time in promotable tasks that will get you seen and open career opportunities to improve your financial health.

Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics | Workfront | CNBC | Harvard Business Review | Business News Daily | Bentley University Center For Women and Business | Institute for Women’s Policy Research

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