Is Faux Productivity Real? Research Says Faking It Is …

Are your people productive? Or is it faux productivity you see?

The research is in on faux productivity and it’s — well — surprising.

Turns out, employees aren’t faking it as much as you might think. But managers are!

What is Faux Productivity?

First, let’s look at what faux productivity is: An overarching look says it’s doing a lot, but not getting much done.

So some people fake productivity with mouse movers, scheduled email sends and busy notifications. They are literally doing fake things to make it look they’re working.

Other people are busy doing things that aren’t productive:

• attending to every alert when it comes in
• taking on busy work over the focused work
• putting out fires rather than taking steps to prevent issues
• trying to achieve perfection
• putting quantity of work over quality of work, and
• calling pointless meetings.

The Faux Productivity Disparity

As HR leaders, you’ll be glad to know 67% of employees deny they fake work activity, according to research from Workhuman.

But nearly half of managers say fauxductivity — that’s what Workhuman researchers are calling it — is a common issue on their teams.

But those managers could be speaking from experience. Here’s the kicker: 38% of C-Suite executives admit to faking activity and 37% of managers engage in it!

Why are They Faking It?

So why are people faking productivity?

The top reasons cited in the Workhuman research:

• They want a better work-life balance
• They’re burned out
• They don’t have enough work to do
• They’re pressured by unrealistic expectations, and
• They want to appease their manager.

“It’s an understatement to say that today’s employees are up against a lot: both professional and personal stressors, burnout, overwork and disengagement can contribute to low well-being,” says Dr. Meisha-ann Martin, Senior Director of People Analytics & Research at Workhuman.

So there are several issues at hand when it comes to faking productivity.

HR wants to help employees address them because faux productivity affects the bottom line: Whether employees are not getting the real work done or they suffer from low well-being, it affects the bottom line.

Here are five strategies to counteract faux productivity.

1. Address Productivity Anxiety

Many times, anxiety over getting it all done prevents employees from being truly productive — and they fall back on busy work. Almost 30% of employees report having productivity anxiety — the feeling they should always do more — several times a week.

Tip: Managers will want to align what productivity looks like to help quell anxiety and engage employees in ownership of their work. Try to do it weekly to focus on the short-term work that helps achieve long-term goals.

2. Advocate Balance

Many people cited burnout and a need for balance when they admitted to faking productivity. To help with that, managers can set the stage.

“Managers especially are in the position to promote a workplace culture that allows employees to be human and say when they’re struggling—not turn to performative productivity,” says Martin. “That means managers themselves need to resist the urge to keep up appearances and instead be vocal about when they’re taking a break. The re-energized, re-committed people that return to work after recharging will achieve better outcomes and better wellbeing than those who stay quiet and stay online.”

Tip: Encourage managers to set the standard on their teams.

3. Turn Off the Always On

When employees feel they need to account for every second of their workday, they start faking productivity — and often get burned out.

In fact, Workhuman found two-thirds of employees who work for companies that do not track time don’t pretend to be active. At companies where time is tracked, 40% of employees admit to faking it sometimes.

Tip: As much as possible, focus on output over input. Reiterate that what’s important is the quality of work over the quantity of hours spent doing it.

4. Help People Recognize Low-Value Work

Remember, some people don’t even realize they’re taking part in faux productivity. Because they choose busy — and usually low-value — they think they’re being productive.

There will always be some housekeeping work, but managers might want to help employees identify their low-value work and how much time should be spent on it.

Tip: Encourage managers to meet with employees one-on-one at least twice a year to evaluate low-priority work and how much — if any — time needs to be spent on it.

5. Keep Track of Progress

Once employees and managers get aligned on goals, balance and important work, they’ll want to track progress so they’re sure they are doing the right stuff — and not continuing faux productivity.

Plus, tracking progress helps maintain motivation and focus.

Tip: Celebrate milestones in progress — perhaps with a brief break from the work so employees can come back focused on productivity.