The new HR buzzword ‘fauxductivity’ is set to worry employers and highlight the age where keeping an eye on staff’s productivity is a requirement.
The term refers to employees keeping up appearances of productivity without actually achieving anything. Instead of tackling meaningful tasks, they are apparently instead attempting to look busy, or if working remotely then mouse-jiggling, to give the illusion of working.
Research by Workman found that 48% of managers feel faking work is a common issue in their team. Two-thirds of respondents, however, denied that they have taken part in this behaviour.
These statistics raise the question of whether this new phenomenon is a genuine work problem for employers to tackle, or simply an imagined issue in light of growing suspicion in the age of remote working.
“The shift towards remote work has created a real challenge for managers who can’t see their team in action every day. This sometimes leads to over-monitoring or micromanaging, which can actually make productivity worse. Nobody wants to feel like they’re being watched constantly – it damages trust and motivation,” said Lucy Fitzgerald, CEO and founder of Fitzgerald HR.
Fitzgerald also shared that the ‘fauxductivity’ conversation instead highlights deeper workplace issues, rather than the laziness of workers who are avoiding work.