As employers push for a return to in-person work post-pandemic, Gen Z is engaging in 'taskmasking' practices to demonstrate productivity. This trend includes behaviors like rushing around the office with laptops or making loud typing sounds to give the illusion of hard work. Companies such as Amazon and Goldman Sachs are mandating employees return full-time, prompting younger workers to adapt to the visual cues of busyness previously less necessary in remote work. The phenomenon raises questions about workplace culture and performance expectations.
One example of taskmasking: moving quickly through the office while carrying a laptop or clipboard straight out of a West Wing walk-and-talk.
The rise of taskmasking comes as more employers mandate a return to office. In September, Amazon announced it would require all workers to come in five days a week.
This might be the first time they've been asked to consistently commute to a job site instead of getting tasks done on their own schedule.
Gen Z reckon with a dilemma: how do you appear to look busy enough to appease an ever-present boss?
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