Let me tell you about a little something called “Productivity Theater.” It’s performed in your office, and the leading actors are your coworkers. Now, I don’t want to give the impression that I’m against productivity. I’m all for it. I’m just not a fan of the theatrical part.

Now, let me set the stage. Workers everywhere are growing increasingly concerned about job security, and they’re scrambling to prove their worth to their employers. Managers, for their part, are looking for action and physical presence, not results. They’re measuring success with the wrong yardstick, and the employees are well aware. So what do they do? They put on a show.

You’ve seen it before: the coworker who attends every meeting, whether they have anything to contribute or not. They’re there, nodding along, furiously taking notes, and chiming in just to make sure their voice is heard. Then there’s the person who responds to emails at lightning speed, as if the fate of the company depended on their ability to hit “reply” faster than anyone else.

But let me tell you, folks, this isn’t real productivity. It’s all just smoke and mirrors, a grand display of busyness designed to make everyone look good while accomplishing very little. Managers want to see their subordinates busy at work, but end up using a broken compass to find their way through the corporate wilderness.

Workers, being the savvy individuals they are, have caught on to this flawed system, and desperately try to convince their managers that they’re indispensable, even if it means spinning their wheels and wasting valuable time. You might think it’s harmless, just a little bit of acting to keep the boss happy, but when people are constantly pretending to be working, they’re not actually doing anything productive.

Workers are finding new ways to gain recognition from employers by engaging in tasks that make them look productive as fears about layoffs and job security amp up.

43% of those employees surveyed are spending more than 10 hours per week on what it dubs “productivity theater” tasks.

• This includes tasks such as attending too many meetings or responding to emails unnecessarily quickly.
• Workers are feigning productivity as major companies have laid off thousands in the past year.
  
  Productivity Theater

Now, I understand the desire to look busy. We all want to feel secure in our jobs, and if looking like we’re working hard is the key to that, then it’s a tempting proposition. When people are forced to spend 40 hours a week in the office, whether they’ve got 40 hours’ worth of work to do or not, they tend to get creative.

What’s more, this culture of busyness can lead to burnout. Workers are pushing themselves to put in long hours, often without a clear sense of what they’re trying to achieve. They’re just chasing the illusion of productivity, which is a recipe for a whole lot of stress and unhappiness.

So what’s the solution? I say, let’s focus on results instead of appearances. If someone finishes their work early and it’s top-notch, let them go home. After all, it’s better to have employees who are well-rested and happy, rather than exhausted and burnt out from trying to maintain a façade of productivity.

Imagine a world where we valued efficiency and effectiveness over the number of hours spent in the office. Workers would be encouraged to find the best way to complete their tasks, and then enjoy some well-deserved time off. As the old saying goes, “Work smarter, not harder.”

While “Productivity Theater” may be a captivating show, it’s not a sustainable way to run a business or maintain job security. Let’s leave the acting to the professionals and focus on what really matters: getting the job done, and done well. And who knows, if we all embrace this change, we might just find ourselves with a little more free time on our hands.