The “Z” stands for “zero effort.”
Gen Z employees are hiding how little they’re doing at work by “task masking,” a trend that is taking over TikTok — and the office.
In order to “task mask,” employees are making themselves appear like they are doing a lot of work, when in reality, they’re actually barely working. While the phenomenon isn’t necessarily new, the behavior is cropping up again as more companies enforce return-to-office mandates.
“Companies that demand their employees return to the office are sending a message that presence equals productivity,” Amanda Augustine, career coach at career.io, told Fortune.
“This [trend] reflects young professionals’ beliefs that time and ‘face time’ at work isn’t equal to their outcome and impact.”
While Jenni Field, the founder and CEO of Redefining Communications, argued that people who do not want to work simply won’t, she also told the publication that miscommunication and micromanagement could be to blame for the rise in “task masking.”
“If someone is not delivering results, the issue is not where they are working but how they are being managed,” she explained.
“If people are required to be in the office, there should be a clear purpose beyond just being seen, especially if the work could be done from home,” she continued. “If that purpose is missing, employees and leaders need to work together to redefine what in-person work should look like and address the root causes of task masking.”
Managers told Fortune that they’ve seen an increase in unnecessary meetings or taking too long on simple tasks. One human resources director claimed their company, which went unnamed, even saw a surge in mouse movement software.
City CV CEO and founder Victoria McLean told the outlet that the act of “task masking” should signal to managers that an issue needs to be addressed.
“If employees feel the need to task mask, the question isn’t ‘Why aren’t they working harder?’ It’s ‘Why don’t they feel their real work is valued?’” she explained.
“When people are putting more effort into appearing productive than actually being productive, there’s likely a trust or engagement issue at play.”
A Workhuman survey from 2024 found that 36% of employees faked productivity — a trend dubbed “fauxductivity” — with 70% of those claiming it did not have any effect on their results in the workplace.
“This indicates that the key reasons for ‘task masking’ may not be due to a refusal to do work, but rather from feelings of burn-out from being in the office or not having enough work to fill their hours in the office,” Augustine noted.
But experts warn young workers that consistently “task masking” may signal that the work environment isn’t a good fit — and could hinder their career growth. To beat “task masking,” they advised that, instead of looking busier, ask for more work.
“Your career isn’t built on desk hours; it’s built on results, relationships, and reputation. If you don’t see the value in being in the office, have an open conversation with your employer,” McLean said.
“If the culture still values performative work over real contribution, you might want to reconsider whether that’s the right environment for your growth.”
