Productivity theater - Misplaced Pages

Employees pretending to work

Productivity theater is a form of impression management where an employee acts productively in the workplace, typically by appearing busy or unavailable, without actually being productive.

Following the rise of remote work after COVID-19, productivity theater became a large concern with remote employees who lacked onsite supervision.

Mouse shuffle

The "mouse shuffle" refers to someone continuously moving their computer mouse around to keep their screen active, giving them the appearance of being at work. The mouse can either be physically shuffled by a person or mechanically by a mouse jiggler. The mouse shuffle is useful in workplaces where employees' computer screens are visible to others, like in open-office layouts.

Employees where mouse shuffling is prevalent have increased stress and reduced job satisfaction.

References

Mensik, Hailey (26 April 2023). "WTF is productivity theater?". WorkLife. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
Wong, Ryan (April 21, 2023). "'Productivity theater' is officially out of control at work". Retrieved 19 August 2024.
Robinson, Bryan. "Employees Using 'Productivity Theater' To Protect Against Surveillance, Study Finds". Forbes. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
Stillman, Jessica (Aug 22, 2022). "Remote Workers Are Wasting More Than an Hour a Day on Productivity Theater, New Report FindsDigital presenteeism is sapping the productivity of remote workers, a new report finds, and bosses are to blame". Inc. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
Berger, Chloe (May 3, 2023). "Workers are adopting 'productivity theater' to impress their bosses". Fortune. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
Bhaimiya, Sawdah (May 3, 2023). "Workers say they're engaging in 'productivity theater' for over 10 hours a week to appear busy, a survey shows". Business Insider. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
Robinson, Bryan. "The 'Mouse Shuffle,' A 2024 Workplace Trend, Has Employers Scratching Their Heads". Forbes. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
"'Mouse shuffle': Worrying new trend emerging among remote workers". August 9, 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2024.

v t e Critique of work
Historical persons	Abbie Hoffman Edward Bellamy Alfredo M. Bonanno André Gorz Bob Black Günther Anders Guy Debord Heinrich Böll Ivan Illich Mikhail Bakunin Paul Lafargue Walter Benjamin Antonio Negri Bertrand Russell Friedrich Nietzsche Henry David Thoreau Herbert Marcuse Jerry Rubin Josef Pieper Karl Marx Max Stirner Max Weber Pierre-Joseph Proudhon Raoul Vaneigem Renzo Novatore Zo d'Axa
Contemporary persons	Franco Berardi L. Susan Brown Madeleine Bunting David Graeber Michael Hardt Maurizio Lazzarato Claus Peter Ortlieb Roland Paulsen Jeremy Rifkin Penelope Rosemont Mark Slouka Nick Srnicek Claire Wolfe John Zerzan
Terminology and related topics	996 working hour system Absenteeism Abusive supervision Aktion Arbeitsscheu Reich All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy Autonomism Bare minimum Monday Bullshit job Coffee badging Corporatocracy Cycle of poverty Dolce far niente Effects of overtime Employee ghosting Extermination through labour Career cushioning Careerism Flextime Forced labour Four-day workweek Funemployment Ghost job Uberisation / Gig worker Glass cliff Happiness economics Honeymoon-hangover effect Hush trip Job crafting Job cuffing Jobless employed Karoshi Loud quitting Neijuan Occupational burnout Occupational safety and health Occupational stress Orange S.A. suicides Overwork Performance punishment Post-work society Precariat Presenteeism Digital presenteeism Productivity theater Professional abuse Protestant work ethic Psychological safety Quick quitting Quiet hiring Quiet promotion Quiet quitting Quiet thriving Lazy girl job Rage applying Refusal of work Resenteeism Right to rest and leisure Sampo generation Sunday scaries Six-hour day Tang ping Technological unemployment Toxic workplace Narcissism Psychopathy Wage slavery Work ethic Workaholic Working poor Work–life interface
Theater, movies, music and art	À Nous la Liberté Office Space Swedish Public Freedom Service "Take This Job and Shove It" The Future of Work and Death The Main Thing Is Work! The Working Class Goes to Heaven Yama—Attack to Attack
Literature	Anekdote zur Senkung der Arbeitsmoral Bartleby, the Scrivener Bonjour paresse Bullshit Jobs The Conquest of Bread Critique of Economic Reason Fight Club Future Primitive and Other Essays In Praise of Idleness and Other Essays Inventing the Future Manifesto Against Work New Escapologist On the Poverty of Student Life The Society of the Spectacle Steal This Book The Abolition of Work The End of Work The Human Use of Human Beings The Idler The Revolution of Everyday Life The Right to Be Lazy The Soul at Work: From Alienation to Autonomy
Communities	R/antiwork CrimethInc. Situationist International
See also	Criticism of capitalism Critique of political economy Job strain

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