Every workplace has that person. The one who makes sure new hires feel like more than just a name on an org chart. The one who checks in when someone goes quiet on Slack. The one who volunteers to facilitate the hard conversations, or gently calls people in when things get tense.
This is the glue that keeps workplace culture from cracking. And yet, it’s rarely listed in a job description, measured in performance reviews, or compensated in promotion cycles.
We call it invisible labor. But its impact is anything but.
What Is Invisible Labor at Work?
Invisible labor refers to the unpaid, often unrecognized work that helps organizations run smoothly, especially when it comes to emotional support, inclusion, and community care. It’s not part of the official role, but it’s essential for a healthy workplace. Think:
- Welcoming new employees and showing them the ropes
- Supporting teammates during personal or global crises
- Offering behind-the-scenes coaching before a big presentation
- Running the “fun committee” or planning events
- Providing informal mentorship, especially across identity lines
- Calling in questionable behavior and helping others recover
This work often lives in the space between “what needs to get done” and “who is willing to care enough to do it.”
Who’s Carrying the Load?
Invisible labor tends to fall disproportionately on people from historically marginalized groups—women, especially women of color, LGBTQ+ employees, and those with caregiving or community-centered identities. Not because they’re more qualified, but because they often feel a personal responsibility to make the workplace safer, kinder, or more just. They step up when others won’t, and they see what others miss. And over time, they become the unofficial culture keepers, without the title, the pay, or the buffer from burnout.
Why It Matters
When invisible labor is ignored, the people doing it often pay a hidden tax. They’re expected to carry emotional weight without acknowledgment. Their actual workload increases, but their contributions don’t show up in promotion or compensation discussions. And when they finally burn out or leave, the team feels it, but can’t always name what’s been lost.
But when this labor is named, valued, and supported, it becomes a critical pillar of inclusion, a force multiplier for retention, and a foundation for trust.
What Leaders Can Do
You don’t have to overhaul your culture overnight, but you can start recognizing the people and practices that are often overlooked. Here’s how:
- Name it. Start conversations about what invisible labor looks like in your org. Ask employees what they’re doing to make the culture better, especially the things no one’s asked them to do.
- Track it. Include emotional labor, mentorship, and culture contributions in performance reviews, manager check-ins, and promotion criteria.
- Compensate it. If someone is doing the work of an informal culture steward, build that into their job scope or offer stipends and workload adjustments to make it sustainable.
- Distribute it. Don’t let a handful of people carry the whole culture. Create shared norms and expectations so care and inclusion aren’t the burden of a few.
- Make it optional. If it’s unpaid, it shouldn’t be required. Period.
If You’re Doing This Work: You Deserve Support
If you’re the one people come to for advice, support, or quiet course correction, thank you. And please, protect your energy:
- Set boundaries and say no when you need to
- Document your impact, even if it feels intangible
- Invite others to co-carry the load
- Advocate for recognition—your work matters!
You’re not being “too sensitive” or “too nice.” You’re doing what good leadership looks like. Whether or not the org sees it yet.
Culture Is Built in the Margins
Organizations love to talk about values, but values don’t live in mission statements. They live in who steps up when someone’s hurting, who gets listened to in meetings, and who does the work that no one notices until it stops happening.
Let’s start noticing and naming the invisible labor. And let’s build cultures where the people holding it all together are supported, not silently stretched thin.