Employees are ‘ghostworking’: 58% say they regularly fake productivity

More than half of employees admit they pretend to work on a regular basis, according to a new survey from Resume Now that highlights growing concerns about “ghostworking” and the widening gap between performative busyness and real productivity.

The survey, based on responses from more than 1,100 American workers, found that 58% regularly fake work activity, while another 34% do so occasionally. The tactics range from walking around with a notebook and scheduling fake meetings to typing nonsense to appear active. The findings underscore the persistence of what analysts call “productivity theatre” across both office and remote settings.

How Employees Are Ghostworking

Resume Now reported that 23% of workers have wandered the office with a notebook simply to appear busy, while 22% admitted to randomly typing to look engaged. Fifteen per cent have held a phone to their ear without being on a call, and a similar proportion kept spreadsheets open while browsing unrelated content. Twelve per cent have scheduled fake meetings; only 12% said they never feign productivity.

The report argues that ghostworking is often a response to unclear goals, micromanagement and workplace cultures that reward appearances over meaningful output. It also found that remote workers waste slightly more time than office-based staff, with 43% saying they lose focus at home compared with 37% in the workplace.

Job Hunting During Work Hours

Resume Now noted that job-searching during office hours is now widespread. Ninety-two per cent of employees said they had looked for new roles while on the clock, including 55% who do so regularly. Nearly a quarter admitted to editing their CVs during work hours, and 23% said they had applied for roles using their work computers.

The report linked this behaviour to burnout, job insecurity and the blurring of boundaries in hybrid environments, warning that companies may need to reassess engagement and retention strategies.

Distractions Across Work Settings

The study found that distractions differ significantly between office and home environments. In offices, employees cited technical issues, long breaks, social interactions, chatty colleagues and managerial interruptions as leading disruptors. Remote workers pointed to background noise, family interruptions, connectivity problems, household emergencies and pets interfering with calls.

The findings suggest that location-based mandates may not solve productivity issues without deeper structural changes.

Despite concerns about digital surveillance, 69% of respondents said they would likely be more productive if employers monitored their screen time. However, the report stressed that monitoring alone is unlikely to address deeper problems such as unclear expectations, motivation gaps or poor communication.

The survey’s findings reflect a shifting workplace dynamic in which traditional measures of productivity are increasingly misaligned with modern work patterns. Employers, the report suggests, may benefit from replacing visibility-based expectations with outcome-driven metrics, clearer goal-setting and better support for both remote and office-based staff.

As hybrid work continues to evolve, the challenge for companies will be to balance autonomy with accountability—and to ensure employees do not feel compelled to “look busy” rather than produce meaningful work.