Task masking is everywhere. Employees walking around holding laptops, typing unnecessarily loudly, making important-sounding calls to nobody. They’ve mastered the art of looking busy while doing nothing that helps your bottom line. While you’re working overtime, they’re watching the clock and waiting for you to buy their facade.
Task masking is a growing trend, particularly among Gen Z employees, as they return to office environments under return-to-office mandates. According to a Bospar survey, 61% of people report being more productive at home than in the office. When team members don’t want to be in the office, they find ways to rebel.
I founded my first business in 2011 and grew it to 20 people, then sold it in 2021. In that time, I learned to spot the real workers from the fakers. The conscientious ones showed their value through results. The task maskers? They created problems, complained constantly, and didn’t last long.
If your team is task masking, it’s costing you money, time, and potential. Here’s why it’s happening and how to put a stop to it immediately.
Task masking is a management problem, not an employee one
Most business owners blame lazy employees. But the truth runs deeper. When your team pretends to work, it signals something’s broken in your leadership. People don’t fake work when they’re inspired, challenged, and clear about their purpose.
Your employees are task masking because the work environment encourages it. Either they don’t understand what success looks like, they don’t believe in what you’re building, or they know looking busy matters more than actual results.
A Workhuman study found that 36% of workers admitted to faking productivity. That’s one-third of your staff potentially wasting their time (and your money) on performative tasks instead of meaningful work.
Five ways to eliminate task masking from your business
Measure output, not activity
The biggest task masking trigger? Obsessing over hours worked rather than results delivered. Stop counting butts in seats and start counting wins. A team member who delivers exceptional work in 25 hours creates more value than someone who looks busy for 50.
Set clear targets for what good work looks like. When someone hits their goals early, celebrate it. Don’t punish efficiency by piling on more work or forcing them to sit around pretending to be busy.
Create work worth doing
Nobody task masks when they’re excited about their projects. Look hard at what you’re asking people to do. Is it meaningful? Does it play to their strengths? Does it have a clear purpose they can get behind?
Bored employees will find ways to look busy. Engaged employees will find ways to create value. The difference costs you thousands in wasted salary and opportunity cost. Connect their daily work to the bigger mission so they see why their contribution matters.
Be the example you want to see
Your behavior sets the tone. If you’re checking boxes, looking busy, and valuing appearance over substance, your team will mirror that back to you. Show them what real productivity looks like by focusing on meaningful work, taking breaks when needed, and celebrating quality over quantity.
Walk your talk. Don’t preach about results while measuring hours. Don’t talk about trust while micromanaging. Employees see right through that hypocrisy and respond by giving you exactly what you’re really asking for: the appearance of work.
Have direct conversations
If you suspect someone’s task masking, address it directly. Ask why the work isn’t engaging them. What would make it more meaningful? What’s missing from their current role?
Sometimes people fake work because they’re overwhelmed and don’t want to admit it. Others do it because they don’t see how their work connects to anything important. Find the root cause before making assumptions.
These conversations aren’t comfortable, but they beat the alternative: paying full salary for fake work while your competition races ahead with fully engaged teams.
Replace the unfixable
Not everyone deserves to stay. If you’ve created clear expectations, meaningful work, and an environment that values results over appearances, yet someone still chooses to fake their way through the day, it’s time for them to go.
There are plenty of people who would love to work on your mission and deliver real value. Don’t let misplaced loyalty to task maskers hold your business back from what it could become with a fully engaged team.
Be mindful of this when you’re making your next hire. Are you finding a good fit who will be motivated to do their best work even when you’re not looking?
Task masking: Stop tolerating fakers, start building winners
Your business can’t reach its potential with people who are just going through the motions. How you deal with task masking dictates its culture.
For every faker you tolerate, you’re sending a signal to your top performers that fake work and real work get the same rewards. That’s a fast track to losing your best people.
Measure what matters, create work worth doing, lead by example, have direct conversations, and be willing to replace those who won’t get on board.
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