Workers across industries are increasingly engaging in "productivity theatre"—conspicuous displays of busyness—as anxieties over artificial intelligence (AI) and a wave of layoffs intensify pressure to appear indispensable. This phenomenon, described by industry experts, involves prioritising measurable activity over substantive outcomes, a strategy that can ultimately harm both morale and genuine performance.
Taylor Goucher, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at offshoring firm Connext Global, told *Business Insider* that worries about AI and workplace surveillance tools have "amplified the pressure on people to look more productive." He compares modern corporate behaviour to his military experience, where a superior judged effort by whose car remained in the parking lot late.
The Illusion of Busyness in Sales
In sales, the adoption of automation tools allows for a dramatic increase in activity volume, such as sending thousands of emails in minutes. However, sales consultant Joe Fontana argues this high-volume work often constitutes "going through the motions" without driving real sales. He notes that bosses can be misled by metrics like call counts, while reps fail to engage in meaningful conversations with potential clients.
"'Billy makes 100 dials a day. Billy does 50 emails a day... Look how busy he is. The numbers will come,'" Fontana said, describing a common managerial fallacy. "The numbers never come."
Shifting from Activity to Outcome
Goucher recounted an instance where a team member focused on demonstrable outputs—like sending 1,000 targeted messages—yet her commissions lagged. "She felt like she was being very productive, but she wasn't seeing the outcome," he said. The solution was redirecting her focus to quantitative goals tied to company benefit, such as generating new customers, which improved both focus and results.
"It's really hard to get into the outcome mindset as opposed to the activity mindset," Goucher stated, highlighting a key challenge in modern workforce management.
Layoffs and the Survival Strategy of Visibility
The trend is exacerbated by a climate of persistent layoffs, particularly in the tech sector, which hired aggressively during the pandemic. Career coach Amanda Augustine of TopResume reports that fears about job security and AI's reach have grown "more intense" among clients in the last six months. "It's wearing people down," Augustine said. "Hence the job-hugging; hence the task-masking; the productivity theatre."
This environment can lead to presenteeism—showing up or overextending while unwell—and burnout among "layoff survivors" who feel compelled to prove their worth constantly. Fully remote workers may feel additional pressure to demonstrate they are working diligently.
While the instinct to demonstrate productivity is understandable, experts warn that a culture overly focused on visible activity risks undermining genuine efficiency and long-term business health. The normalization of layoffs continues to raise fundamental questions for employees about role stability and company security.