Gen Z is task-masking in the office and its destroying potential career growth heres why

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?’ I...