Celebrating ABWA’s Women in Business® - 7

ABWA PERSPECTIVES
The Labyrinth of
Non-Promotable Work
lab·y·rinth
/'lab(ə)‚rinTH/
noun
1. a complicated irregular
network of passages or
paths in which it is difficult
to find one's way; a maze.
" a labyrinth of passages
and secret chambers "
Linda Babcock, Brenda Peyser,
Lise Vesterlund, and Laurie Weingart
(estimated read time - 7 minutes)
For the last 40 years, the term " glass ceiling " has been used to describe women's struggle
to advance in the workplace. It's a striking visual, but we think there's a better metaphor
for gender inequality in the workplace: women are caught in a labyrinth1. While women
are working hard to achieve their goals, they are caught in a maze of hedges that block
their progress. One of these dead-ends is " non-promotable tasks " (NPTs), which is work
that matters to the well-functioning and productivity of the organization but brings
no reward or recognition to the individual who does it. You'll recognize NPTs because
you've done them too. You've no doubt helped others with their work, sat on governance
committees, resolved inter-office conflicts, and helped train new employees. And those
are just a few of the many examples of non-promotable tasks you've likely taken on.

1 This term was popularized by psychologists Alice Eagly and Linda Carli in their book, see Eagly A.,
and Carli, L., (2007). Through the labyrinth. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
A publication of the American Business Women's Association (ABWA) www.abwa.org ©2022 ABWA Management LLC
5TH ISSUE 2022 7

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Celebrating ABWA’s Women in Business®

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