I’m 38 years old. I missed the boat.
This is what I thought as I listened to yet another podcast about a young kid who had retired at age thirty.
Earlier that day, my boss informed me that my beloved team had been dissolved. I had been re-assigned a new workload that had previously been handled by three people.
At the time, my career in strategic communications was thriving. I had a prominent role on a small team, and a manager that supported me and teammates. Things were finally going well for me. After several setbacks, I was doing meaningful work and getting my money right.
What stood out to me was that this increased workload was being framed as an “an amazing opportunity.” The kind of opportunity that didn’t come with a title change or additional compensation. It was an invisible workload—and the pay would be invisible, too.
“Here we go again,” I thought. After working hard for the promise of a promotion, here I was being asked to take on even more work—for exposure. As I sat there holding back tears, I said to myself, “That’s it! This ish will never happen to me again!”
I never wanted to be on the other end of a call where it felt like someone else was deciding my fate. But what could I do? I needed this job.
One of the answers was saving money. I knew that if I could build my own safety net, I’d be able to make empowering decisions about my career and life. I dived deep into the online financial independence community. The most impactful platforms I came across were The Finance Bar, the rich & REGULAR podcast, and the Millionaire Mastermind’s paid community. I was mostly looking for some basic tips to help me save a few coins in case I told my manager how I really felt about this “opportunity” they were offering me. Instead, I found communities that taught me that I could do life on my own terms.
I also intentionally sought out voices from women and people of color and I learned that I wasn’t alone. There were other people who were like me; nearing middle-age, and taking steps to carve out a piece of independence.
I connected with other Black women who were having to “prove their worth” and doing the work of multiple people. But unlike me, these women were demanding to be paid for the value they were bringing to the table.
In corporate America, women take on an extra 200 hours of unpaid work each year (about an extra month of labor annually). Research conducted by the University of California shows that people of color often wind up with worse assignments than their white male colleagues. Thus, women of color often fare the worst due to a combination of sexism and racism. It hinders our chances for advancement and therefore limits our earning potential.
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Read about what “quiet quitting” will look like for Black women.
Now, let’s be clear. This isn’t just about being asked to get the coffee or plan the holiday gatherings. The invisible workload I’m referring to includes taking on extra work without an explanation of how it’ll lead to advancement within the organization. Add to this the internalized belief that Black women have to work twice as hard as everyone else and you’ll see how we wind up volunteering for projects that keep us broke and busy. The intense drive to succeed and obligation to help others, is part of the “strong Black woman” persona that is often detrimental to our physical and mental health.
Armed with new information, I understood it was expected that I would just take this “opportunity” without any attempts to negotiate. My financial independence community showed me that I no longer had to be complicit in this extortion of labor. If I decided to accept this “gift” of unpaid labor, both my mental health and finances would suffer severely.
After allowing myself some time to sit with my feelings, I asked for another meeting. I wanted to discuss this new direction in greater detail, and learn more about compensation for these expanded duties. When we met, I laid out how I could support this new body of work effectively. I also asked to be paid fairly for taking on this additional workload.
It took a few months of back and forth, but eventually, we reached an agreement that I was satisfied with. I was proud that I advocated for myself—even when I was unsure of the outcome. I’m now earning more money. I’ve also created a financial safety net and eliminated over $15K in debt in less than a year. I also boosted my credit score by roughly 100 points.
Pushing back on the invisible workload pays.
Below are some ways that disrupted the expectation of unpaid labor in the workplace. Fight on.
Build a safety net.
We often think of having a financial safety net as just a part of our financial plan. I view it as a vital part of my career growth plan. When I have money in the bank, I feel like I have choices. I can freely explore any new opportunity without the pressure of financial obligations. It also gives me the choice to walk away from things that do not serve me.
Find supportive communities.
I can’t tell you how many times I hear, “oh, that’s just how it is” when I speak about the invisible workload. It can be isolating to decide to carve out a different path for yourself. I learned to be diligent about connecting with other like-minded people. I did this by getting out of my comfort zone, finding new online communities, and paying to join support groups with women who have similar career and financial goals.
Work on your mindset.
In times where layoffs are frequent and a recession is looming, it can feel scary to talk about promotions and compensation. Instead of allowing fear to stop me from maximizing my earning potential, I created a daily practice of journaling and movement, to remind myself that I am highly competent and capable of achieving whatever it is that I want. This gave me the courage to start having difficult conversations about the invisible workload, which ultimately led to a bigger paycheck.
Acknowledge the structural barriers.
We all have unconscious bias (and sometimes there’s just plain ol’ bias). It shows up everywhere, including our workplaces. Black women continue to suffer because of it.
Once I stopped lying to myself and thinking “I just need to work harder and someone will notice me” and acknowledged that there were other forces at play, I was able to work smarter. I quit giving my energy to people and projects that weren’t serving me. Instead, I focused on aligning my work with opportunities that matched my values.
Lean into your strengths.
Working with my strengths helps me show up confidently and authentically in any situation. (And confidence brings coins!) Learning more about my talents allowed me to create additional income. Thus, it helped me reach many of my financial goals faster. Plus, I’m naturally more creative, productive, and fulfilled when I work this way.