‘Doing nothing’: New way employees are fighting back against return to office mandates
With the war on working from home in full swing, disgruntled staff have found a sneaky way of getting revenge after being forced into the office.
Companies across the globe are taking a hard line approach to working from home in 2025, with an influx of new return to office mandates being announced.
Woolworths, Coles, JPMorgan, Amazon, and Tabcorp are just a few of the major organisations that have recently rolled back working from home.
This week, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton vowed to force 365,000 public servants back to the office if the Coalition wins government in the upcoming federal election.
Australians have been warned that the war on working from home is likely to create a “domino effect” across the country, with more companies following suit with return to office mandates.
A recent survey from recruitment firm Robert Half found 39 per cent of Australian businesses have mandated five days a week in the office in 2025, a 3 per cent jump from the previous year, while the average number of required office days has increased from 3.43 to 3.64.
Staff who have become used to hybrid and remote working – particularly young workers who have only known these types of arrangements – are, unsurprisingly, disgruntled about these mandates.
This has given rise to a “sneaky” trend among those returning to the office, with employees now faking their productivity through what is being branded “task masking”.
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The trend has exploded online, with people sharing all the ways they are making themselves appear busy in the office, including loudly typing when leaders are around, holding their laptop while walking with a purpose, and periodically making frustrated noises and sighing loudly.
All of these little actions give the illusion of hard work, while actually “doing nothing”.
According to middle management expert and founder of BoldHR, Rebecca Houghton, task masking is the corporate version of “playing office”.
“Why is it trending? Because forced office returns have stripped employees of autonomy without giving them a compelling reason to be there,” she told news.com.au.
“Many workers feel that in-office mandates are about control, not collaboration, so they’re responding in kind – playing the game rather than truly engaging.”
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Last year, BoldHR surveyed more than 1000 Aussie middle managers, finding that one in three are burnt out, leading to many workers going into “survival mode” and focusing on looking busy rather than actually being impressive or inspirational.
However, Ms Houghton warned that fake productivity is bound to “backfire” sooner or later, noting a disengaged workforce creates a “costly liability” for businesses.
“Task masking might help employees survive in the short term, but it does nothing to build credibility, career progression, or real job security.
‘Eventually, leaders will see through the act, and when the economy improves and real opportunities open up, the people who have been adding real value will be the ones who move forward and the task maskers will be left behind.”
The idea of faking being productive at work isn’t new, however, leadership coach Tony Frost, said the phenomenon seems to have become more prevalent since more employers began demanding a return to office.
Speaking to news.com.au, Mr Frost noted that engaging in task masking can be risky, but employees will soon learn pretty quickly whether their employer actually has systems in place to detect this type of behaviour.
“If disaffected employees think that they can get away with task masking, then there is ‘safety in numbers’ the more that do it,” he said.
“Of course, if their employer does care, then there could be career implications for coasting employees.”
The leadership coach said an employee caught task masking may initially receive a warning, but repeatedly engaging in this behaviour could impact promotions or even lead to the performance management process.
Mr Frost said employers “should definitely be concerned” if they suspect staff are engaging in task masking, but he warned they need to be “very careful” before confronting employees.
“The reason they need to be careful is that task masking can be subjective and hard to detect. Maybe an employee is having a hard time at work for some valid reason and is not deliberately slacking off,” he said.
Workplace expert Dr Michelle Gibbings agreed, saying employers need to view this trend as a symptom of a wider issue.
This means investigating the root causes that are pushing staff to engage in task masking behaviours and asking questions such as whether staff feel their work is meaningful and are they feeling burnt out or disengaged.
“Employers should set clear, outcome-based performance metrics and ensure employees understand how their work contributes to business success,” Dr Gibbings said.
“When people feel valued and empowered, the need for performative work disappears.”
She noted that there is a growing frustration with “outdated” office norms that prioritise visibility over effectiveness.
There is disconnect between traditional office expectations and modern work realities, which is being amplified by the ongoing working from home debate.
“As debates over remote work persist, employees are questioning whether presence alone should define their contributions,” Dr Gibbings said.
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