People are pretending to work — but watching them more makes things worse

We’ve all heard the phrase “fake it till you make it,” but in today’s workplace, a growing number of employees are faking it just to get through the day.

According to Resume Now’s new Ghostworking Report, 58% of employees say they regularly pretend to be working. Another 34% do so occasionally. These aren’t isolated moments of distraction — they’re reflections of a deeper disconnect between employees and the environments they work in. From walking around with a notebook to keep up appearances, to scheduling fake meetings for a break from endless tasks, workers are finding quiet ways to reclaim time and preserve energy in a system that demands constant visibility.

Even more telling: 92% of employees have searched for a new job during work hours. That statistic doesn’t point to laziness. In reality, it signals dissatisfaction, disconnection and a lack of trust that the current job will offer growth, recognition or long-term stability.

The real cost of looking busy

Many workplaces still treat productivity as something that can be observed, tracked or measured by activity rather than results. If you’re responding to messages quickly, present in every meeting and online all day, you’re seen as productive — even if that time is filled with shallow tasks or redundant check-ins.

For employees, this creates pressure to constantly perform. It’s not just about doing the work anymore; it’s about proving that you’re working. When that kind of validation becomes more important than impact, people burn out. The day becomes a performance. And eventually, employees begin ghostworking just to survive it.

This performative culture exists both remotely and in-office, with 47% of employees saying they waste more time working from home and 37% reporting that they waste more in the office. The problem isn’t where people work. It’s how they’re expected to operate under systems that prioritize face time and control over trust and purpose.

Ghostworking isn't the problem — it's the signal

The Ghostworking Report highlights the strategies workers use to manage this constant pressure:

• 23% have walked around the office with a notebook to appear busy
• 22% have typed randomly to look engaged
• 15% have held a phone to their ear without being on a call
• 12% have scheduled fake meetings to avoid real work

While these might be viewed as signs of disengagement, they’re actually adaptations. Workers are managing unreasonable expectations, burnout and unclear priorities the only way they can: by creating pockets of mental space within rigid structures.

Most striking of all, nearly one in four employees have edited their resumes on the clock, and about 20% have taken recruiter calls during work hours. These actions make it clear that ghostworking isn’t about avoiding effort — it’s about planning an exit from roles that no longer serve their well-being or goals.

Monitoring and oversight miss the mark

In response to perceived drops in productivity, many employers turn to surveillance. Strategies like screen tracking, mouse monitoring and requiring activity logs are on the rise in many workplaces. Our survey found that 69% of employees say they would be more productive if their screen time were monitored, but this doesn’t reflect enthusiasm for oversight. It reflects fear. Workers understand the expectations placed on them and know how to play the game. But that doesn’t mean the game is working.

Surveillance may create short-term bursts of activity, but it rarely leads to meaningful, sustainable performance. It can also erode trust and increase stress, making it even more likely that employees disengage emotionally, even if they’re technically present.

If companies want to improve focus and reduce ghostworking, the solution isn’t to watch harder. It’s to listen more.

What workers need to re-engage

At its core, ghostworking is a response to misalignment. When workers understand their role, feel connected to their team and see how their work matters, they rarely pretend to be busy. They don’t need to.

To reduce ghostworking, employers should consider shifting the way work is structured and experienced. But this shift should be driven by a desire to support employees, not to extract more from them.

Here are four strategies that start with listening and end with shared trust:

Clarify roles and remove roadblocks. Many workers waste time not because they want to, but because priorities are unclear or processes are broken. Give employees clear goals and invite them to shape how those goals are reached. When people have ownership, they take initiative.

Address what’s draining, not just what’s time-consuming. Disengagement often stems from constant interruptions, unnecessary meetings and performative tasks. Invite workers to share what parts of their day feel energizing versus what feels like noise. Then act on that feedback. When employees have input into how time is spent, they’re more likely to stay focused and fulfilled.

Focus on outcomes, not optics. Trust employees to manage their schedules and workflows. Measuring performance based on output, rather than activity logs or availability, gives workers the autonomy they need to do their best work without needing to “look busy” all day. As more roles prove effective outside traditional office settings, it’s worth recognizing that productivity isn’t tied to physical presence. Being in an office doesn’t automatically mean work is getting done. 

Foster psychological safety. Employees need to know they can speak up without fear. Create space for open conversations about burnout, bandwidth and barriers to focus. When people feel heard, they’re far more likely to re-engage with the work itself.

These are not simply productivity hacks. They’re structural and cultural shifts that show employees that their worth goes beyond the work they produce.

If you're ghostworking, you're not alone

f you’ve found yourself pretending to work, zoning out or job-searching during the day, take a moment to reflect without judgment. Are you overwhelmed? Underchallenged? Disconnected from your team or unsure of what success looks like?

Sometimes ghostworking is a response to burnout. Other times it’s a signal that you’ve outgrown your role or that the workplace isn’t providing the support or flexibility you need.

Start by identifying what’s missing. Is it recognition? Is it alignment with your values? Is it room to grow?

Then, when you’re ready, take small steps toward change:

• Have an honest conversation with your manager about what’s draining your energy.
• Reconnect with tasks or projects that align with your strengths.
• Quietly begin exploring roles that better fit your goals and needs.

There’s no shame in needing more from your workday. And there’s power in recognizing when it’s time to advocate for yourself or plan your next move.

Ghostworking doesn’t reflect a failure of work ethic. It reflects a failure of workplaces to provide clarity, autonomy and purpose.

When we treat it as a red flag instead of a flaw, we open the door to better conversations about what workers need to thrive. We start to rebuild trust. And we move away from a culture of scrutinizing and pressuring toward one where people are supported, valued and empowered to show up fully, not just pretend.