Every organisation is talking about productivity.
Because managers and CEOs are worried it’s dipping. But why is productivity down when technology is more advanced than ever, and we have more ways to streamline work?
Managers blame employee distractions, burnout and accuse employees of faking how much work they're doing.
But are employees or managers to blame for the dip in productivity? Does the issue start at the top or bottom? And is productivity actually down, or does it just appear to be down?
It turns out that the constant pressure to perform doesn’t boost productivity. It's pushing employees into survival mode and forcing them to pretend to work or ‘fauxing’ work just to keep up appearances.
Yep. Fauxductivity.
In an era where some employees are being tracked night and day, a new phenomenon is damaging organisations where employees pretend to be productive while getting no work done.
So are employees using mouse jigglers and falsified timesheets to fake their productivity? Or is there another culprit at the root of falling productivity?
Workhuman conducted a survey in August 2024 to gauge what employees and managers think about productivity and whether or not they are fudging it. The results are in:
67 per cent of employees don’t engage in fauxductivity
48 per cent of managers agree that fauxductivity is an issue
37 per cent of managers engage in fauxductivity
No wonder so many managers think fauxductivity is happening—because they’re the ones doing it!
So what does this mean? HR and managers are the stewards of your organisation's culture. Sure employees run with it, but you set the tone. Maybe the pressure to perform and be more productive comes from the top? Is it because of bad company culture?
Let’s take a look.
Employees, including managers, are suffering from a decrease in well-being. So the impulse to fake work due to burnout or stress indicates that some employees aren’t in a company where they feel comfortable stepping away when needed.
But because we know managers are likelier to fake work than employees, is it more important for managers to be “always be on” or employees?
Some leaders have normalised a working environment where simply being “seen” is enough. And as a result, employees spend their days pretending to work.
To break this cycle, HR must shift the focus from appearances to genuine results, creating a culture that values well-being and authentic productivity.
It’s possible to work from anywhere at any time.
The widespread adoption of remote work and advancements in technology have meant organisations have significantly changed in recent years, and these new work capabilities have had some unintended consequences on productivity and made some employees feel like they need to be “always on”.
For example in the Workhuman survey:
Over 50 per cent of employees and managers are expected to immediately respond to all instant messages (emails, Teams, Slack).
Over 50 per cent of employees are expected to make meetings after hours.
This expectation of being “always on” is new for many employees, though it has long been the norm in high-pressure fields like law and banking. Balancing these demands has become a growing challenge and has led to an increase in faux work, this is especially true when employees feel they need to account for every second with some form of time tracking.
The introduction of the "right to disconnect" in Australia is a sign that the government is trying to address this growing challenge of work-life balance.
HR needs to encourage managers to stop glorifying the "always on" mentality and start leading by example.
There’s no glory in having a busy calendar or staying late if you’re not delivering value. Instead of keeping up appearances, managers should be vocal about taking breaks. The need to micromanage also has to go because when managers focus on controlling every detail, they create a culture where employees worry more about looking busy than actually solving problems. This is inefficient and helps create a climate where fauxductivity thrives.
One thing you can do to nip "always on" in the bud is to enforce clear boundaries around work hours. This could include implementing policies like the "right to disconnect," where employees are not expected to respond to emails or messages outside of working hours.
Also consider holding an all management meeting to bring this issue to light.
Fauxductivity doesn’t come from thin air, it’s a reaction to a broken system in your organisation.
Humans are animals. And we’ll do what we need to do to survive.
When the game is keeping up with appearances, employees will do what they need to do. It’s on HR and leadership to create an environment where employees feel trusted, valued, and free to focus on what actually matters—not just what looks busy.
Fauxductivity is a leadership issue, plain and simple.
And it can only be fixed by leaders bold enough to say, "enough." The change starts with them—and it should begin on Monday.