If you want your career to advance — not just your calendar to fill up — it’s critical to understand this distinction:

• Non-promotable tasks (NPTs) = work that keeps the organization running but adds little to your visibility, strategic reputation, or promotion potential.

• Visibility projects = work that connects you to senior stakeholders, expands your influence, and becomes promotable evidence of your value.

The tricky part? Some non-promotable tasks can be reframed into visibility-building opportunities — but only if they tick the right boxes.

Why This Matters: The Costs of Invisible Work

Research consistently shows that women spend more time on non-promotable work than men — and that this invisible work contributes to stalled careers. One study found women are asked to take on these tasks 44% more often and say yes 50% more often than men. While all employees do non-promotable work, it’s not evenly distributed — and that matters. For every 100 men promoted to management, only about 87 women make it to the same level. When time and energy are siphoned into invisible tasks, you have less bandwidth for the strategic, visible work that decision-makers notice.

This isn’t just anecdotal: if you’re tasked with taking meeting notes, designing slides, or planning the holiday party — these feel valuable — but they rarely appear on performance reviews or promotion discussions unless they’re explicitly tied to business impact.

The Strategic Value of Visibility Projects

If non-promotable tasks are “necessary,” visibility projects are career currency. Here’s how to evaluate whether a project adds real value to your visibility:

1. Define the Scope and the Type of Win

Ask yourself:

• Is this a long-term strategic project or a quick win that leaders will notice?

• Is the scope meaningful — and can you realistically complete it?

Projects that stall don’t just waste time — they attach to your reputation. Projects that deliver visible outcomes do the opposite.

A good strategic visibility project might be leading a cross-functional initiative, owning a stakeholder presentation, or creating a new dashboard that executives use.

2. Identify the Stakeholders

Ask yourself:

• Will this give you exposure beyond your immediate function?

• Who will see your work?

Work that remains inside your silo rarely gets recognized by decision-makers. High-impact work is visible not just to your team — but to leaders, peers, and cross-functional partners.

3. Assess the Strategic Stretch

The real advantage of visibility projects is how they make you think and act like a future leader:

• Managing senior stakeholders

• Building strategy

• Influencing outcomes

These soft skills — often more critical than technical skills — are what get people promoted. Stretch assignments should challenge you. They should require you to solve problems, influence outcomes, and build relationships.

Reframing Non-Promotable Tasks

You don’t have to reject all non-promotable work. But you do need to evaluate whether they can be reframed into visibility building. Here’s how:

Tie Tasks to Impact

If you’re asked to organize an event or write meeting minutes, don’t treat them as invisible labor. Instead:

• Frame the outcomes (e.g., engagement metrics, improved decision timelines)

• Connect them to business results

• Share the outcomes in leadership forums (newsletters, demos, reviews)

The key is documentation and stakeholder visibility: If it’s going to take your time anyway, make it visible to the right people. That’s how a thankless task turns into career evidence.

Set Boundaries with Purpose

Saying “no” doesn’t have to be about refusal; it can be about prioritizing strategic work. When non-promotable tasks flood your agenda, respond with:

“I’d love to help — but I’m prioritizing [strategic project] that aligns with our goals. Can we reassign this or shift timelines?”

Time is finite. Every hour you spend on non-promotable work is an hour you could have spent building strategic visibility.

A Practical Visibility Checklist

Before you say “yes,” ask:

• Will this project get me seen by decision-makers?
• Will it help me learn strategic or leadership skills?
• Can I document the impact in my performance review?
• Does it align with my personal brand?

If the answer to fewer than two of these is “yes,” it’s likely non-promotable — or at least not highly promotable.

Visibility Is Not Optional

Visibility doesn’t happen by accident. It’s a strategic choice — and part of building your personal brand at work.

Non-promotable tasks will always be part of work life. But when they’re the default, careers stall. When they’re evaluated, reframed, or declined with strategy, they can support — instead of limit — your advancement.

Think strategically: Can you pick one project that stretches your influence, gets you seen by leaders, and builds evidence for promotion?