Our (In)visible Work: How Everyone Everywhere Experiences It Every Day - Paperback

by Janelle E. Wells (Author), Doreen Macaulay (Author), Galina Fouks-Abele (Illustrator)

In homes and workplaces across world, people routinely perform tasks for which they receive little to no credit. These duties are outside the official scope of work, and there is no recognition or compensation. It is invisible work.

From the moment you wake up, there's work to be done. If it takes up space in your thoughts, takes time to achieve, and makes a difference for someone, it's work, and every inch of your life is riddled with a call to action. This work is an essential part of the lives that we have created for ourselves, our families, and our communities. Knowing its value, we want to bring the weight of this work out of the shadows. In fact, what we set out to reveal in this book is how the unseen, the gaps, the unnoticed, and the expected invisible work have consequences. It also reaps gratification when the work is seen, when the work is valued, and when the work is appreciated.

Work impacts our everyday life. While the impact can be relatively minor if unnoticed for a short period of time, how long can we maintain that level of work? How long can we manage inevitable frustration? The frustration toward your partner for not recognizing your work for always planning the vacations, the frustration with your colleagues for always relying on you for the celebration cards, or the frustration toward your friends for always expecting you to be the social planner. Irritating, certainly. Unnoticeable, undoubtedly. The book makes clear that merely identifying invisible work is not enough. Addressing this issue can be a catalyst for creating a more equitable society.