THE NO CLUB

A guide for achieving balance and equity in the workplace.

Overwhelmed at work, Babcock, a professor of economics at Carnegie Mellon, invited a group of her colleagues to get together to discuss why it is often difficult for women to turn down requests for their time—particularly regarding “non-promotable tasks.” Each of these assignments “was critical to the organization, but wasn’t going to earn her praise, a raise, or a promotion. It was invisible unless she messed it up.” Along with Babcock, Peyser, Vesterlund, and Weingart—all of whom also have years of experience in the business, communications, and academic arenas—hope to share what they learned with other women facing similar struggles in the workplace. Based on their research, including “experiments, surveys, interviews, and organizational data on how employees spent their time,” the authors clearly show that women are much more likely to be asked to perform such tasks, versus their male counterparts, as well as to accept such requests. This situation is often driven by unfounded expectations. “We think it is our own voice compelling us to feel guilty for not saying yes, and our own voice telling us to be offended when a woman says no,” they write. “But it’s not us! It is the collective expectation that women will take on the non-promotable work.” Placing such an unfair burden on women can lead to countless problems, from career stagnation to excessive stress to serious health issues. The authors also argue that organizations as a whole would benefit if employees were to share nonpromotable tasks, which leads to an engaged workforce that can attract and maintain the best talent. Although the facts that the authors marshal won’t surprise many readers, women struggling to turn down requests will find comfort knowing they are not alone. They will also learn valuable tips for changing the status quo, including how to craft an effective no and avoid the traps that lead to yes.

Sound guidance for sparking change in organizations.