FROM QUIET QUITTING TO TASK MASKING: UNDERSTANDING THE NEW WORKPLACE TREND

IF YOU’VE ever stared at your inbox late at night, timing an email to “send later” just so it looks like you're working around the clock, you're not alone.

- VUYILE MADWANTSI

TASK masking isn't merely a sign of laziness; rather, experts suggest it stems from deeper psychological issues such as burnout and anxiety.

(Pexels)

Welcome to the world of task masking, one of the latest workplace trends shaking up office culture. It’s the cousin of quiet quitting, the rebellion against hustle culture that went viral in 2022.

But while quiet quitting is about setting boundaries and doing just enough to meet your job description, task masking takes things in another direction: it’s about looking productive, even when you're not.

And here's the thing: it’s not just a Gen Z quirk or a TikTok fad. Its a symptom of something deeper in our post-pandemic work culture, return-to-office mandates, and the pressure to always appear “on.”

What exactly is task masking?

In a Psychology Today article, career coach Madeline Mann explained: “Task masking is essentially looking like you're busy doing important work, when it’s more to keep up appearances.”

That could mean: Filling your calendar with back-to-back (and sometimes unnecessary) meetings. Walking around the office with your laptop as though you're on a mission. Responding to emails at odd hours. Announcing how “overwhelmed” you are, even if your to-do list isn’t mission-critical.

According to a recent Workhuman poll, over one-third of UK workers admit to engaging in fake productivity. And if we're honest, most of us have probably done it whether out of stress, fear, or survival.

Why is task masking a thing?