Terms

Aspirational effort: Time/effort spent to the benefit of NCSU, but not in exchange for salary. Motivated by a hope that the time/effort will improve the likelihood of one's prospects for paid employment in the future

Example: Over and above tasks completed with hopes of recognition and promotion possibilities; Participating in convenings or initiatives in order to have face-time or access with leadership or higher ranked peers

Relationships:  Voluntary extensions, social expectations

Caregiving: Providing caregiving and support for others, including students and peers 

Example: Completing a CARES referral on behalf of a student; when an advising relationship extends beyond academic advising to be coaching about workload and navigating student mental health needs

Relationships:  Emotional labor, social expectations, institutional housekeeping

Emotional labor: Managing and regulating emotions in order to meet perceived expectations of role, even when true feelings are counter to expressed emotions; 

Example: Suppressing stress in interactions with students or peers; Effort expended to engage students for their gain, such as planning start-of-class activities or personal check-ins with colleagues

Relationships:  Caregiving, Aspirational effort, Social expectations

Institutional housekeeping: Picking up the slack of the collective, filling in gaps that support a workload of a team or department

Example: Tasks assumed because no one else accepted the invitation or noticed the need, such as note taking in a meeting

Relationships: Mental Load, Social expectations 

Mental load: Effort spent organizing and planning effort and workload

Example: Time spent planning to balance teaching and research responsibilities in a given week; Time spent thinking through how to manage logistics of an event or task

Relationships: Institutional Housekeeping

Social expectations: Time/effort spent preparing for presentability, professionalism; may be related to perceived bias about gender or other identity dimensions 

Example: Time spent preparing for a meeting differently than usual based on the meeting participant’s rank

Relationships: 

Voluntary extensions: Attending social events or extra activities tangential to defined role; may not be explicitly invited or required

Example: Meeting with a former student or alumnus who is no longer connected to the university; Attending a research talk as a collegial gesture. 

Relationships: Social expectations, Mental load, Aspirational Labor

Stress management: Time/effort spent to alleviate detrimental mental, social, and/or physical impacts of invisible labor 

Examples:Detachment (doomscrolling, mindlessly watching a show), relaxation (reading, movement), control (planning for a leisure activity), relating (conversation with supportive persons, social activities with friends) 

Relationships: All others