HR trends and what they mean: Task masking

Are your employees busy working or busy looking like they’re working? The latest trend of ‘task masking’ involves the practice of workers appearing busier than they are in an office environment — whether it’s rushing around or typing furiously to give the impression of busyness. 

But does a trend being popular online equate to it actually happening? Whether it’s real or not, it does track with the fact that only 17% of British workers claim to love their job, according to a study from StandOutCV. With that context, it seems that ‘task masking’ is a symptom of a disengagement crisis — similar to last year’s trend of ‘quiet quitting’.

From our side, the topic of task masking sits within a larger discussion around employee engagement, quiet quitting, and increasing return to office mandates. In conversation with the publication Fortune, Amanda Augustine, a resident career coach from career.io, offered the following insight: 

“Companies that demand their employees return to the office are sending a message that presence equals productivity…[Task masking] reflects young professionals’ beliefs that time and ‘face time’ at work isn’t equal to their outcome and impact.”

Additionally, Ella Robertson McKay, the managing director at One Young World to Stylist, explains how task masking can be reflective of your culture and dwindling engagement: 

“Usually, it’s a signal that employees don’t feel comfortable having candid conversations about their workload, boundaries or concerns. As a result, they default to signalling how busy they are rather than having a direct discussion, whether out of uncertainty, habit or a workplace culture that rewards visible busyness over real efficiency.”

There’s no world where task masking is a net positive for your organization. To get to the root of it, employees should consider the following: 

• Host regular check-ins: Schedule weekly or bi-weekly one-on-one meetings between managers and their team members. Use these sessions to discuss workload, address concerns, and ensure employees feel supported in their roles.

• Implement a results-focused review system: Shift performance reviews to focus on measurable outcomes and specific achievements rather than hours logged or visible busyness. This can help employees understand the importance of their contributions and reduce the tendency to task mask.

• Create anonymous feedback channels: Set up a system where employees can anonymously share their thoughts and feelings about workplace culture and management practices. This can help HR identify areas of discomfort and address them proactively.

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• The people manual: Employee experience

That's all for this week's edition of Personio Pulse: This Week in HR. Check back next week as we continue to dissect the latest trends impacting the ways we work. 

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