A new survey has revealed that more than half of US workers admit to frequently pretending to be busy at their jobs. This behavior is known as “ghostworking.”
What is ghostworking?
“Ghostworking… is a performance,” explains Keith Spencer, a career expert with Resume Now, the company behind the report. “It involves actively projecting an appearance of busyness without actually engaging in meaningful work.”
According to the survey, 58% of employees regularly engage in ghostworking, while an additional 34% report doing so on occasion. So, what are these workers doing instead of their assigned tasks? The survey revealed that 92% spend some time looking for new job opportunities, and 55% openly admit to conducting job searches during work hours.
Layoffs, AI anxiety, and muddled expectations drive the trend
Post-pandemic challenges are likely contributing to the rise of ghostworking.
Although layoffs in sectors like tech have continued since 2023, the issue is not confined to just one industry. Despite the US unemployment rate remaining low at 4.2% according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, many workers are fearful of an impending recession.
Another significant factor in ghostworking is the uncertainty about AI in the workplace. As employees struggle to adapt, many fear that AI will eventually replace them. A March LinkedIn Workforce Confidence Survey found that employee job security and confidence in securing employment have dropped to their lowest levels since April 2020, at the onset of the pandemic.
Adding to these concerns, a January Gallup poll showed that 46% of employees remain uncertain about what is expected of them at work. This misalignment with managers’ goals has led workers to feel the need to work harder, or at least appear busier, to retain their positions.
Why looking busy has replaced being productive
Many companies insist on bringing remote workers back to the office, and workers feel under greater scrutiny than ever before.
When leaders see an office full of bustling employees, they often perceive that busyness as productivity; this encourages workers to do whatever they need to appear busy, including typing randomly, scheduling fake meetings, and acting like they’re on a call that isn’t real.
“The workforce is currently under immense pressure to appear productive, even when it’s counterintuitive to actual productivity,” Spencer says. “In many cases, the appearance of working has become just as important as the work itself.”
The solution to reversing this trend
The solution to the ghostworking epidemic will have to come from the top. Spencer notes that could mean buying employees better equipment, setting boundaries about meetings and communications, and possibly using employee monitoring software.