The Empathy Tax at Work: Recognizing Emotional Labor and Its Cost

The article argues that the pandemic’s shift toward empathy placed a heavy, often invisible burden on managers—especially women—who become the 'emotional infrastructure' of modern work. This 'empathy tax' leads to burnout as colleagues rely on them for debriefs and conflict resolution, while leaders celebrate tougher, less empathetic styles. Research shows a large share of professional women spend at least 30% of their workweek on caring tasks, with many reporting increases year over year and thousands leaving the workforce. Experts call for recognizing, measuring, and rewarding emotional labor, setting boundaries, and ensuring leadership culture values vulnerability without exploiting it.