TikTok has been abuzz with the workplace trend “task-masking”—that is, making yourself look busy so that your boss thinks you’re hard at work. Cue behaviors like pounding hard on the keyboard, always keeping your status to “active,” or walking around the office with your laptop and looking like you have somewhere to be when you don’t.

“It’s all show. It’s all performance,” one TikTok user posted. “They could be typing a thousand words a minute, but really be typing nothing,” posted another. Some argue that it’s backlash against return-to-office policies: “Many of these employees, especially Gen Z, feel like their presence doesn’t equal productivity,” a TikTok user said. And crucially, “it’s not just about laziness,” wrote another, arguing the pressure to look busy “could actually be a sign of overwhelm.” 

The term has come to be associated with Gen Z on social media, but in reality, the act (and art) of looking busy has been around for decades.

“Task-masking is the digital equivalent of shuffling papers,” says employee coach and attorney Theresa D’Andrea, known as That Work Girl, who’s also discussed the trend on TikTok. “It’s an employer’s market right now to get a job, so people feel like they have to be busier than usual in order to keep their jobs.”

Nearly half (48%) of managers are concerned about employees who fake their productivity on the job—and not without reason. That’s because 37% of managers and 32% of non-managers themselves admit to such “fauxductivity,” or trying to appear busy even when they’re not, according to a 2024 survey of 3,000 full-time employees in the U.S., U.K., and Ireland by Workhuman, an HR software company.

That’s not good for employees—or companies. Such pressure to look busy can lead to burnout and inefficiencies, D’Andrea says. Rampant task-masking may be a sign of workflow or cultural issues that management needs to address. And it may be an act of defiance for some, but a scrambling to prove worth for others.

If you’re feeling the pressure to look busy to show your boss how important you are, try these tactics instead of pretending to answer emails during the next all-hands meeting.

Get clear about what’s important, and prioritize

ZipRecruiter career expert Sam DeMase says that in order for employees to truly add value, they need to understand the metrics used for “success” by both their supervisors and the company. “You just need to focus on doing work that actually moves the needle,” she says. 

DeMase suggests asking your boss questions to get clarity: “How is success defined for this project?” “How does this project serve the company’s goals for 2025?” Know your core strengths and communicate those. 

D’Andrea agrees. Instead of responding to every text, email, and communication platform notification immediately in an attempt to look busy, focus on what matters. That’s especially true after you’ve gotten a sense of what your boss and the organization value.

“Maybe even help your boss put together a KPI [key performance indicators] dashboard to track the performance of the team if your boss doesn’t already have something like that,” says Korn Ferry senior client partner Maria Amato. “I would be delighted if someone on my team did that.”

Keep learning

Instead of tackling a task just for the sake of crossing it off the to-do list, keep learning where you can, says workplace culture expert Marissa Andrada. Work on understanding more about the company and its culture and values. “If you get the context of how the work that you’re doing fits in [to the team and values]—why it’s important—then you can show, ‘Here’s what I think about it,’” she says. 

Not only does this give you a better perspective on the work you’re doing, but it can also help frame your work as more essential to your team (and boss). “It’s making your manager be successful by delivering on time and on point,” she adds. It replaces the performative busywork of task-masking with strategic thinking that demonstrates real value.

Taking on stretch roles or additional projects can help you keep learning, too. However, Amato cautions that it’s important to understand the culture of your company and the nature of your supervisor: Don’t make it seem like you are trying “to get away or are not interested in what you’re currently doing—not wanting to pay your dues, for example, in your current role.”

Document your wins

DeMase suggests keeping a weekly log of your progress and wins, such as meaningful contributions to meetings, goal completion, positive feedback, project milestones, and processes you improve along the way. She adds that documenting your successes can also keep you motivated in your job.

Amato says what you do with that information depends, again, on the culture of your organization and team. You might tell your supervisor that you’ve collected some data on your performance, and ask whether they would like you to share the information with them. “Your boss may say, ‘Oh, I would love to see that as it comes in. Just send it to me each and every time.’ But if they haven’t actually asked for [the info], it could be sort of like spamming your boss,” she adds. 

“We need to move away from ‘busyness bringing value,’” D’Andrea says. 

By getting more clarity about your role, reconnecting with your work’s meaning, and documenting your wins, you can add value and get more satisfaction. Those are payoffs that marching around the office with an open laptop simply can’t deliver.