Gen Z’s ‘Taskmasking’: Pretending to Work by Looking Busy

Young professionals are being accused of “taskmasking” — the act of pretending to work through performative tasks that don’t really achieve much. From constantly shuffling papers to creating unnecessary spreadsheets, the art of looking busy has become a survival skill in modern offices.

Gen Z workers say it’s a way to meet expectations in workplaces that reward appearances rather than actual results. If productivity is judged by how occupied someone looks, then creating the illusion of busyness becomes an unspoken strategy.

Managers, however, are beginning to notice. Some claim the habit wastes company resources and undermines genuine productivity. Others argue that it reflects a deeper problem — where companies value time spent in the office over meaningful output.

Whether it’s deception or self-protection, “taskmasking” has become a cultural talking point. As workplace dynamics evolve, the line between real work and performed work seems blurrier than ever.