Explained: The rise of fake productivity at work; how employees are ‘task-masking’ to look busy

A new workplace habit called fake productivity is spreading. Many employees pretend to be busy to manage work-life balance. Leaders are concerned about productivity in hybrid work environments. Task-masking involves doing micro-tasks to show effort without achieving real results. This behavior is linked to return-to-office pressures and surveillance. Telepressure from constant messaging leads to burnout.

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