"As companies haul their employees back to the office through return to office (RTO) mandates, some workers are adopting tactics to make them look busier than they actually are. These can include rushing around the office, typing loudly, always checking their email inbox, and scheduling non-existent virtual meetings."
"According to Owl Labs' State of Hybrid Work 2024 report, 38% of 2,000 UK-based workers and 46% of 2,000 US-based workers surveyed revealed their employer had added such software to its tech stack within the past 12 months. Furthermore, 86% of the respondents in both countries believe employers should be legally required to disclose the use of monitoring tools."
"The rise of task masking is a consequence of rigid office rules that don't always align with productivity or preferred ways of working, Frank Weishaupt, CEO of Owl Labs, tells ITPro. This trend signals a quiet but growing pushback against outdated workplace policies, particularly as organizations continue to impose strict attendance requirements and long working hours."
Return-to-office mandates have prompted some employees to perform visible but low-value behaviors—rushing, loud typing, constantly checking email, and scheduling fake meetings—to appear busy. Task masking often occurs after high-priority work is done, when employees feel pressure to look productive until the workday ends. Around a third of C-suite leaders and managers admitted to 'fauxductivity.' Employers have increasingly added productivity-monitoring software, with Owl Labs reporting significant recent adoption and 86% of surveyed workers wanting legal disclosure of monitoring tools. Experts frame task masking as a response to rigid attendance policies rather than simple laziness.
Read at IT Pro
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