No matter how unpopular they continue to be, return-to-office (RTO) mandates just keep coming down the pipeline — including, now, within the federal government. Given the job market, it seems most workers aren’t willing to bail on a job because of such a mandate. But they are, it turns out, willing to get subtle revenge.
Part of the reason RTOs are so controversial is that — aside from often being so expensive for workers they basically amount to a pay cut — there’s little good evidence that they actually boost productivity and a wealth of evidence that they hinder it.
Most studies showing a beneficial impact on productivity are too narrow to even be meaningful, like one oft-cited study that focused solely on data entry workers in Indiawhich doesn’t really mean much for jobs other than Indian data entry ones. Many other positive studies are inherently biased, being commissioned or performed by entities with ties to the commercial real estate industrylike one landmark study conducted by an architecture company that literally designs offices.
That’s all on top of what most workers will tell you — working from home makes it easier for them to do their jobs due to fewer interruptions and less stress. They’re understandably furious at being forced to tack on a commute, major expenses, and more time away from their families for what seems like no good reason. So now, they’re fighting back.
: Work-From-Home Employee Says Her Company’s Return-To-Office Mandate Is Costing Her $13K
Chief among the reasons for RTO mandates cited by business leaders is that they have no ability to surveil their employees to make sure they’re not daring to veer away from their duties for even a split second. Hard to crack the whip when your employees work from home, right?
That’s problematic on its face — if you need to be breathing down everyone’s necks all day, you’re either a terrible boss, have hired all the wrong people, or both. But even worse is that it makes employees feel micromanaged, distrusted, and infantilized. So they’re getting revenge.
Dubbed “task masking” by Amanda Augustine, a workplace expert and career coach at career.iothe trend involves workers performing productivity for the eyes of their bosses. It’s a way for them to keep some of the same latitude they had at home while appearing to be at the grindstone for eight uninterrupted hours.
Tons of videos on TikTok share methods for this bit of clever subterfuge — pausing to flip through a notebook or calendar with a focused look on your face, or getting up and walking around the office like you’re on an important mission, for example.
Loud typing seems to be the most popular tip — what you’re actually typing, of course, is anyone’s guess. One woman suggested downloading desktop versions of iMessage and WhatsApp so you can secretly text your friends while appearing to hammer out emails. But the point is all that furious clackety-clacking will make any passerby think you’re hard at work on… IDK, something important!
: Survey Finds Return To Office Mandates Are Just Layoffs In Disguise Meant To Make Workers Quit
At first glance, this trend probably seems more about wasting time than anything — why take time out of your day to fake-type when you could just get your work done faster and call it a day? But that’s just it, isn’t it — you can’t do that when you’re forced to work in-office, where simply going home when your job is done is usually a one-way ticket to being branded “lazy” or “not a team player.”
Or as Augustine put it, “companies that demand their employees return to the office are sending a message that presence equals productivity.” That is, of course, nonsense — and nonsense our bosses are rarely held to. It’s not like they ever stick around watching the clock until 5:00 p.m. on principle if THEY get done early.
The trend of faking productivity “reflects young professionals’ beliefs that time and ‘face time’ at work isn’t equal to their outcome and impact,” Augustine explained. It’s a way to basically split the difference — to draw a boundary and give the boss no more or no less productivity than they were already receiving before they forced an arbitrary return to the office.
1st footage | Shutterstock
This resentment workers feel is certainly understandable given how high rates of burnout were before these RTO mandates ever even started. Augustine theorized this is one of the key facts giving rise to the “task making” trend, in fact.
Burnout isn’t just about workload either — it’s also about factors like long commutes and the expenses associated with in-office work like childcare that make life even more stressful. And when it comes to needlessly forcing that back onto workers, usually with no compensation or reward? Well, let’s just say pretending to clack away at emails while you’re really just gossiping with friends on WhatsApp seems like a more than fair trade-off.
: 10 Signs You’re Burned Out, Not Lazy — According To Psychology
John Sundholm is a writer, editor, and video personality with 20 years of experience in media and entertainment. He covers culture, mental health, and human interest topics.
