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In workplaces already struggling with productivity, an emerging phenomenon described as “ghostworking” is likely to generate some fear among managers, leaders and HR—especially because of how common it appears to be.
According to a new report from Resume Now, more than 58% of employees admit to pretending to be working, or ghostworking, regularly, while another 34% do it occasionally. What’s driving the trend? Hannah Yardley, chief people and culture officer at Achievers, points to an ongoing downturn in employee recognition.
“Ghostworking happens in many cases when employees stop seeing the point of their work,” Yardley says.
What does ghostworking look like?
While concepts such as presenteeism and quiet quitting—both productivity reducers for a variety of reasons—are not new, some ways in which employees today are faking it apparently are, and can be very creative.
For example, the Resume Now report found:
23% of employees admitted to walking around the office with a notebook to look busy; 22% have typed randomly to appear engaged; 15% have held a phone to their ear with no real caller on the other end; 15% have kept a spreadsheet open while browsing unrelated content; and 12% have scheduled fake meetings to avoid real work.
