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Rubén Andrés
WriterWriter at Xataka. I've been working remotely for more than a decade and I'm a strong advocate of technology as a way to improve our lives. Full-time addict of black, sugar-free coffee.
Karen Alfaro
WriterCommunications professional with a decade of experience as a copywriter, proofreader, and editor. As a travel and science journalist, I've collaborated with several print and digital outlets around the world. I'm passionate about culture, music, food, history, and innovative technologies.
All employees are adjusting to returning to the office. However, Generation Z is the only group with no prior work experience in this regard, having entered the workforce during the remote work era.
As a result, 36% of this generation have adopted a new strategy to cope with the return to the office: “task masking.” This tactic consists of appearing super busy without actually being so, filling the free time they have left after completing their work.
Task masking: the art of appearing busy. If you’ve been browsing Instagram or TikTok reels lately, you’ve probably seen videos—half-joking, half-serious—demonstrating how to look busy at the office without actually doing anything productive.
This phenomenon has gained prominence as companies require more time in the office, leading some employees to find ways to prove their worth without necessarily increasing productivity. The deeper issue behind this practice relates to time management, workload, and company culture.
Going back to the office has no impact on productivity. According to a recent survey of 3,000 respondents in the U.S., UK, and Ireland using the workforce platform Workhuman, 36% of young people admitted to pretending to work when they had already completed their assigned tasks.
Seventy percent of them said task masking had no effect on their usual work pace and that they completed their tasks in less time than a full workday. But because they have to spend more time in the office, they pretend to still be working so their bosses don’t overload them with additional tasks.
Yes, they’re more productive. If you’ve read the last two paragraphs, your conclusion is probably that these employees finish their work faster than expected—making them more productive. Why hide this quality?
According to experts interviewed by Fortune, a lack of commitment to company values and a belief that their work is undervalued may drive young people to implement this variant of quiet quitting. They complete their assigned work and spend the rest of the day performing in the “productivity theater” that has returned to the office.
It’s not just employees. Pretending to be too busy isn’t limited to younger workers. The Workhuman study found that 38% of senior executives and 37% of middle managers also exaggerate their busyness for show.
Gen Z employees feel their value is measured by their presence in the office and their apparent commitment rather than their actual results. This perception is reinforced by company cultures that value hours worked over efficiency.
“Your career isn’t built on desk hours; it’s built on results, relationships, and reputation. If you don’t see the value in being in the office, have an open conversation with your employer. If the culture still values performative work over real contribution, you might want to reconsider whether that’s the right environment for your growth,” Victoria McLean, founder of recruitment consultancy City CV, told Fortune.
The root causes. According to the Workhuman study, the main reason for this behavior is to improve work-life balance—something Generation Z values above all else. If their bosses learn they can do more work in less time, they’ll expect higher output. If employees can’t keep up, they’ll have to sacrifice personal time to get it done. That’s a red line they don’t want to cross.
The stress cycle. However, pretending to be productive so bosses don’t give them more work contributes to a new source of stress: the constant mental strain of maintaining the credible appearance of being busy.
Jenni Field, founder and CEO of Redefining Communications, told Fortune: “If people are required to be in the office, there should be a clear purpose beyond just being seen, especially if the work could be done from home. If that purpose is missing, employees and leaders need to work together to redefine what in-person work should look like and address the root causes of task masking.”
Image | Carl Heyerdahl (Unsplash)
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