from Hacker News

What is 'ghostworking'? Most employees say they regularly pretend to work

by jrs235 on 5/30/25, 7:58 PM with 6 comments

• by cebert on 5/30/25, 8:15 PM

  > “The workforce is currently under immense pressure to appear productive, even when it’s counterintuitive to actual productivity,”

  I feel like the purpose of RTO mandates is mostly for performative show of work.

• by TimorousBestie on 5/30/25, 8:28 PM

  It’s Goodhart’s law all over again.

  People don’t get promoted for the objective value of their work products. They get promoted for appearances, charisma and vibes.

  Sure, one way to appear productive is to actually produce. But that’s not the only way.