Dr. Rachel Levitch is a cybersecurity expert and strategic leader with over 15 years of experience in information security, privacy, and compliance. She is a founding partner of Mangosteen Privacy, a company dedicated to advancing privacy technologies and cybersecurity solutions. In addition, Dr. Levitch serves as the Executive Director and Founder of The Cognitive Institute of Dallas, an organization focused on community service and cognitive health initiatives. With a PhD in Information Technology, she has held chief information security officer (CISO) roles and is known for her expertise in managing complex security and privacy challenges in today’s digital landscape.
Dr. Rachel Levitch, CEO & Founder, Explores Invisible Labor, Technostress, and the AI Economy
In today’s fast-evolving digital workplace, customer experience (CX) and employee experience (EX) professionals grapple with unseen challenges. One such challenge is invisible labor—the hidden cognitive, emotional, and organizational efforts that employees contribute but rarely see recognized. This silent work often sows dissatisfaction and burnout if ignored. At the same time, technostress — the strain from constant technology use — threatens employee wellbeing and service quality. Overarching these is the AI economy, transforming jobs, workflows, and workplace dynamics in profound ways.
Dr. Rachel Levitch, a leader in technology and workforce strategy, offers pioneering insights into these critical yet underexplored facets of modern work. With more than 15 years in cybersecurity and strategic consulting, she brings a unique lens on how technology, labor, and business success intertwine.
Invisible Labor: The Hidden Burden on Employees and CX
Invisible labor includes emotional labor—managing feelings to fulfill a job’s emotional demands—and cognitive labor, like multitasking and managing digital tools behind the scenes. Dr. Levitch emphasizes that, in CX environments, employees often perform significant invisible labor to ensure smooth customer journeys without explicit acknowledgment. This poses risks: over time, employees may experience exhaustion and disengagement, undermining CX quality.
Research shows emotional labor correlates strongly with employee burnout, negatively impacting service consistency and customer satisfaction. Recognizing and measuring invisible labor in CX roles is thus key to sustainable experience strategies.
Technostress: The Dark Side of Digital Work
Technostress arises from information overload, constant connectivity, and disruptions caused by digital platforms. Dr. Levitch highlights how rapid adoption of new AI-driven tools without adequate support worsens technostress. Employees face difficulty keeping pace with evolving systems, leading to anxiety, fatigue, and reduced productivity.
Studies show technostress decreases employee engagement and retention, directly harming CX outcomes. Addressing technostress requires user-centric technology design, ongoing training, and clear boundaries between work and personal time. Dr. Levitch cites companies integrating wellness tools and flexible technology policies to mitigate technostress effectively.
The AI Economy: Change Driver and Challenge
AI’s rise automates routine tasks but also generates new demands. Dr. Levitch explains the AI economy reshapes roles, adding complexity and new knowledge requirements. While AI can improve CX personalization and operational efficiency, the workforce must adapt continuously.
This duality presents both opportunity and stress. Employees need reskilling and strategic support to thrive alongside AI. Dr. Levitch advocates proactive workforce planning to ensure AI complements human skills and preserves experience quality.
Expert Perspectives and Case Studies
Dr. Levitch points to case studies where companies mapping invisible labor uncovered hidden work patterns, enabling better resource allocation and employee recognition programs. In technostress, firms deploying AI-powered analytics to track employee digital fatigue saw improved wellbeing outcomes after adjusting workflows.
Further, organizations embracing the AI economy with inclusive, upskilling-focused policies outperformed those treating AI solely as a cost-cutting tool. These examples underscore the importance of integrating human-centric values alongside technological advancement.
Practical Takeaways for CX/EX Professionals
- Measure Invisible Labor: Use surveys and digital analytics to identify hidden employee efforts and address workload imbalances.
- Mitigate Technostress: Implement training, wellness programs, and technology policies that limit overload and encourage healthy digital habits.
- Embrace AI Thoughtfully: Develop upskilling initiatives and job redesign strategies to help employees adapt while maintaining CX excellence.
- Recognize and Reward: Incorporate invisible labor contributions into performance evaluations and recognition efforts.
- Promote Open Dialogue: Foster communication about technology challenges and workload perceptions to improve employee engagement.
Dr. Rachel Levitch’s research-driven insights provide CX and EX leaders with a framework to tackle the unseen but powerful forces shaping today’s work and customer journeys. By acknowledging invisible labor, addressing technostress, and embracing AI with a balanced human focus, organizations can build resilient, high-quality experience ecosystems.
