Saying “No” to Office Housework, Be Leaderly Weighs in on HBR
By Jo Miller
When you think of housework, what picture comes to mind? Strewn clothes? A jumble of grubby plates?
Well a different kind of housework is getting needed attention right now – the kind that women have long tended to at the office.
In her article in Harvard Business Review, Ruchika Tulshyan interviews Be Leaderly’s Selena Rezvani on “office housework” and how women of color, in particular may be expected to manage these tasks more often. Tulshyan defines office housework as everything from administrative work that keeps things moving forward, like taking notes or finding a time everyone can meet – to work that’s important but undervalued, like initiating new processes or keeping track of contracts. It’s also work that’s usually not tied to revenue goals, so far less likely to result in a promotion than, say, chairing an innovation or digital transformation committee.
Read the article and learn how to say “no” confidently – and creatively! While you’re at it, chime in with your own success stories of saying “No” to a lowly task.
Jo Miller
Jo Miller is a globally renowned authority on women’s leadership. She’s dedicated two decades to helping women advance into positions of influence by leveraging their leadership strengths. Based on her work with hundreds of thousands of women, she developed a pragmatic and powerful roadmap that guides women to become the leaders they aspire to be. Jo shares this proven process in her book Woman of Influence: 9 Steps to Build Your Brand, Establish Your Legacy, and Thrive (McGraw Hill, 2019.)
Jo is CEO of leadership development, consulting and research firm Be Leaderly. Learn more about her speaking engagements at www.JoMiller.com and follow @Jo_Miller on Twitter.

By Jo Miller
When you think of housework, what picture comes to mind? Strewn clothes? A jumble of grubby plates?
Well a different kind of housework is getting needed attention right now – the kind that women have long tended to at the office.
In her article in Harvard Business Review, Ruchika Tulshyan interviews Be Leaderly’s Selena Rezvani on “office housework” and how women of color, in particular may be expected to manage these tasks more often. Tulshyan defines office housework as everything from administrative work that keeps things moving forward, like taking notes or finding a time everyone can meet – to work that’s important but undervalued, like initiating new processes or keeping track of contracts. It’s also work that’s usually not tied to revenue goals, so far less likely to result in a promotion than, say, chairing an innovation or digital transformation committee.
Read the article and learn how to say “no” confidently – and creatively! While you’re at it, chime in with your own success stories of saying “No” to a lowly task.

Jo Miller
Jo Miller is a globally renowned authority on women’s leadership. She’s dedicated two decades to helping women advance into positions of influence by leveraging their leadership strengths. Based on her work with hundreds of thousands of women, she developed a pragmatic and powerful roadmap that guides women to become the leaders they aspire to be. Jo shares this proven process in her book Woman of Influence: 9 Steps to Build Your Brand, Establish Your Legacy, and Thrive (McGraw Hill, 2019.)
Jo is CEO of leadership development, consulting and research firm Be Leaderly. Learn more about her speaking engagements at www.JoMiller.com and follow @Jo_Miller on Twitter.