A substantial portion of the U.S. workforce, particularly Generation Z, admits to faking productivity once their assigned tasks are completed. A survey of 1,003 full-time U.S. professionals revealed that 80% of Gen Z workers confess to this practice, a rate considerably higher than millennials (68%) and Gen X (58%).
Overall, 66% of employees acknowledged pretending to stay busy after finishing their work. On average, these employees spend nearly five hours per week on these deceptive tactics, accumulating to approximately 32 workdays, or nearly seven weeks, annually. Instead of logging off, many resort to simple methods to appear engaged. Among Gen Z, 56% reported periodically jiggling their mouse or keeping decoy browser tabs open, while 43% deliberately delay responses to non-urgent messages.
Hybrid workers were found to be the most frequent participants, with 76% admitting to faking productivity, compared to 66% of remote workers and 57% of those working full-time in an office. Even managers are not exempt, with 73% admitting to pretending to be busy, often for the benefit of their own superiors.
Only a small fraction of workers expressed guilt (18%) or resentment (7%) over this behavior. Marium Lodhi, chief marketing officer at Software Finder, the firm that conducted the survey, suggested that this trend reflects a rejection of the idea that simply sitting at a desk until the end of the workday equates to productivity. Lodhi proposed that a more pertinent question is how to reward employees who complete tasks efficiently, rather than how to ensure they appear busy.
More than half of employees who fake productivity reported finishing their assignments at least an hour before their workday ends, and 22% complete their tasks two or more hours early. A significant number indicated a willingness to leave work on time if they weren't concerned about managerial judgment. In fact, 64% admitted to intentionally slowing down their work because completing tasks too quickly often results in being assigned more work.
Employee monitoring software appears to exacerbate the issue. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of workers at companies utilizing such software stated that surveillance increases their likelihood of feigning activity. This aligns with previous research from the American Psychological Association, which found that 56% of employees whose work is electronically monitored experience increased tension or stress.
Ironically, the act of appearing busy can be more draining than the work itself. Approximately 49% of respondents indicated that constantly feigning productivity has contributed to burnout, and 75% believe that productivity-monitoring software generates more stress than actual productivity. Employees are not necessarily trying to deceive everyone; 35% are performing for their direct managers, while 31% have simply fallen into the habit, regardless of whether they are being observed.
"Ambition hasn’t disappeared," Lodhi stated. "But the willingness to sacrifice evenings, weekends and unnecessary screen time to demonstrate commitment has. Younger workers are redefining what success actually means."