International Women’s Day spotlight on invisible work

As I watch my daughter celebrate another birthday, I find myself thinking about work in a different way.

Not the headlines about promotions, pay gaps or glass ceilings (although those still matter), but about the quiet work that keeps organizations running. The work that rarely shows up on a resumé, that does not earn awards or headlines, but without which everything else starts to crumble.

In HR, I see it all the time. There are women in every organization who keep the gears turning, often without recognition. They remember everyone’s birthdays and make sure the new hire feels welcomed. They notice when tensions are brewing between colleagues and take small steps to prevent confrontation. They keep institutional memory alive, quietly teaching the new generation how things work, sharing lessons learned. They fix problems before anyone even notices there was an issue.

This is invisible labour, and it is work. Emotional labour, relational labour, the work that goes into making a workplace humane, functional, and often even enjoyable. It does not show up in org charts. It is rarely celebrated at awards banquets. And yet, it is the glue that keeps workplaces together.

I think about the women who perform this work every day, often while also carrying caregiving responsibilities at home, navigating the pressures of family, financial obligations or education. They are leaders in their own right, just in ways our systems do not always measure or reward. Their expertise is relational rather than hierarchical, nuanced rather than obvious. They are the ones who make it possible for others to do their jobs without chaos.

As HR professionals, we often talk about talent and retention, about who to recognize and reward, about career growth and leadership potential. And yet, too often, the work I am describing is invisible to the very systems we rely on to measure success.

Performance reviews may focus on tangible outputs, sales numbers or project completion. But who evaluates the woman who smooths out the tension between two colleagues before a meeting? Who recognizes the employee who remembers to check in with a stressed-out teammate or who notices someone has been quietly struggling?

These are the people whose contribution is human, relational and essential, but often unacknowledged.

This makes me wonder about the workplaces my daughter will enter.

Will she inherit organizations that finally see and value this work? Will the next generation recognize excellence is not only measured by titles or metrics, but also by the quality of relationships, the care taken to maintain a positive culture and the countless small acts that keep people motivated and respected? Will she feel empowered to contribute in ways that do not always show up on a spreadsheet but matter profoundly to the human side of work?

I hope she does. And I hope she also recognizes the ability to do this kind of invisible labour should not fall disproportionately on her shoulders just because she is a woman. It should be shared, valued and rewarded — because it is real, essential work and part of what makes organizations thrive.

There is a lesson here as relevant to HR as it is to parents: when we design workplaces, we need to design them to recognize all forms of contribution.

Recognition is not just about paycheques or promotions. It is about appreciation, about creating environments where small acts of care are visible and acknowledged. It is about ensuring women and men alike feel empowered to do the work that keeps organizations humane, without fear it will go unnoticed or undervalued.

The quiet work that makes work possible often requires skill, patience and emotional intelligence. It requires seeing the bigger picture and noticing the small details. It involves intuition, empathy and sometimes courage. It is invisible because it is relational rather than transactional, because it is preventative rather than reactive. Yet, organizations cannot function without it.

So, on Sunday — International Women’s Day — while we celebrate women who reach visible milestones (CEOs, scientists, politicians, athletes) I want to celebrate the women whose work keeps the world moving quietly behind the scenes. I want to celebrate those individuals who know everyone’s schedule and mood, who ensure nothing falls through the cracks, who step in without fanfare when no one else notices a need. These are the women whose contribution is measured not in headlines but in stability, calm, care and human connection.

I think of my daughter, and I imagine the workplaces she will join in the future. I imagine her observing the value of invisible work and, hopefully, understanding her worth is not defined only by titles or metrics. I hope she grows up seeing that work is relational, that connection, care and culture, is real work. I hope she has mentors who recognize this in her and encourage her to embrace it, to do it when she chooses, and to advocate for its recognition when others do it around her.

I also hope we, as a society and as HR professionals, start to measure success differently. Not only in terms of promotion ladders and quarterly results, but also in terms of human impact, relational skill and the ability to create workplaces where people feel respected, seen and supported. That is progress, too, and it is just as important as breaking glass ceilings or winning prizes.

On this International Women’s Day, my wish is by the time my daughter enters the workforce, workplaces will better understand and value this kind of work. That invisible labour will no longer be invisible in terms of respect and appreciation. And that she will have the tools, confidence and environment to contribute meaningfully — whether that contribution is visible to the world or quietly powerful behind the scenes.

Because at the end of the day, work is about more than deadlines and profit margins.

Work is about people, and people are at the heart of every organization. Recognizing the people who keep workplaces humane is not just the right thing to do. It is essential to building workplaces that are effective, sustainable and human.

Tory McNally, CPHR, BSc., vice-president, professional services at TIPI Legacy HR+ (formerly Legacy Bowes), is a human resource consultant, strategic thinker and problem solver. She can be reached at tmcnally@tipipartners.com.