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Have you ever noticed that women take responsibility for meeting logistics and coordination even when it’s not their job? I know I’ve both done this and observed this in multiple work settings.
We do this in the name of being organized and polished. Since we’re always proving ourselves in the workplace, we believe we can’t afford not to be on top of all the little details and take ownership of logistics. We actually see it as a way to demonstrate our worth. However, if you weren’t hired to be an administrative assistant and that’s not your line of work, why do you need to prove that you’re good at it?
Once we set the expectation that we will be on top of finding the meeting space and organizing the conference call number, others assume that it is part of our role, even when it isn’t. The more that is expected of us, the more responsibility we take to deliver on those expectations. And here is where we set ourselves up to be undervalued and overworked.
Working on logistics (when it isn’t your role) detracts from your actual work. It takes time and energy away from your tasks. If you are to deliver on your responsibilities, you will eventually feel overwhelmed. And because you’ve set the expectation that you’ll do the organizing, others see you in that role and your reputation becomes comprised.
Ironically, women often take care of the details to make sure that when the time is right, the work can get done without distractions or interruptions. However, in taking ownership of the details we actually eclipse ourselves from the very work for which we’re making room.