Workplace Theater or Acting Busy. Is This a Real Thing?

There is a common trope of “looking busy” at work, also known as “workplace theater.” The new false narrative is that #remotework employees must engage in that. This is a false narrative because, well, in person, people do it too, and this behavior is, in fact, productive.

This sounds counterintuitive, but let me explain. We all often forget that business is a social science. And the social component of looking busy once all work is done and water cooler talk in person is productive. It helps encourage morale and cross-functional collaboration. Breaks and socialization in the workplace are also skill-building and, in fact, productive in it reduce stress and contribute to creative problem-solving.

Also, in-person workers per the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLA) found that in-person workers are only productive for about 3 hours in an 8-hour workday. Work-from-home employees were found to be productive on average about 4-5 hours in an 8-hour day. So, where workplace theater is standard, remote workers do not embrace or need it. As leaders, we need to rethink productivity and how we measure it. Specifically using both a qualitative and quantitative methodology. This will let the work speak for itself with a louder voice.

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