The lack of productivity in the workplace has a new name – ‘Ghostworking’. While businesses love to generate new jargon, this term does perhaps add a descriptor to a common practice.
The term Ghostworking is used to describe the act of pretending to be busy, showing up online or at the office, but doing very little in the way of tasks. This phenomenon has also been coined ‘Task-masking’ or ‘Fauxductivity’.
CEO and Co-Founder of Kickresume, Peter Duris, has commented on ‘Ghostworking’ and shared tips for employees and managers to tackle the issue with colleagues with Digital Journal.
Duris observes: “One reason why people might be trying to look like they’re totally swamped when they’re actually not is because of the workplace culture. If they don’t feel trusted to work at their own pace and feel micromanaged, they might turn to ‘ghostworking’ to buy themselves some time and put on a bit of a performance for their managers.”
In terms of the workplace impact, Duris notes: “On the other hand, unfortunately, sometimes teams are let down by someone who’s just not doing their fair share, and who might give the impression of being very busy but who actually isn’t contributing as much as their colleagues. There are all kinds of reasons why this might be the case, and of course, these people might be struggling too, but it can be very frustrating for their team members, especially when it impacts their own work.”
Tips for employees
Duris provides the following advice for frustrated co-workers:
- If you have a ‘ghostworker’ on your team, try and separate your workload from them as much as possible and let your work speak for itself. If you need to collaborate on a project with this person, make it very clear who is responsible for which task. This way, if your manager raises any issues with you about your project, you’ll be able to prove that you’re putting in the work.
- If someone else’s lack of effort is impacting your work and making it harder for you to meet your deadlines, keep a record of every time this happens. Then, if you want to talk to your manager about the difficulty you’re experiencing, you’ll be able to provide evidence.
- Even if it’s frustrating, it’s best to avoid gossiping about your ‘ghostworking’ colleague. Gossip can lead to an atmosphere where people don’t trust each other. Try and stay empathetic about what might be going on with them.
Tips for businesses and managers
For those in charge of boosting productivity, Durbis recommends:
- A happy, motivated team is much less likely to pretend to be busy—make sure that your employees feel engaged in their work, and clear on what their top priorities are.
- Give your team regular feedback on their work. They will feel like their work matters and one-on-one meetings will also provide an opportunity for you to find out how they are feeling at work. People who are overwhelmed and stressed might be more likely to ‘ghostwork’ to try and cover it up that they are struggling and have fallen behind in their tasks.
- Give your team autonomy. Micromanagement can be a key reason why people start ‘ghostworking’, because they feel like they have to perform productivity rather than having the space and time to get on with their work.
