讀後心得

As the COVID-19 pandemic gradually recedes, many businesses are beginning to require employees to return to the office. However, young workers from Generation Z face a challenge of how to "fake being busy" to meet their bosses' expectations. This phenomenon not only reflects the coping strategies of young people but also reveals communication issues within organizations. In the office, young employees often create a busy image by loudly typing on keyboards or moving quickly around to avoid criticism or suspicion. Although pretending to be busy is seen as an inefficient behavior, it actually stems from the instinct to adapt to the work environment and the survival instinct. Addressing this issue requires businesses to make adjustments in their systems and communication.

As the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic gradually dissipates, more and more companies are implementing "return to the office" policies, forcing Generation Z employees to learn how to "look busy" to convince their bosses that they are working hard.

With companies enforcing stricter controls on hybrid work models, many young employees face challenges, having to demonstrate their busyness through the sound of typing, pretending to be in meetings, and other means. Reports indicate that this phenomenon is not just an issue for the young; it actually reflects a communication gap between companies and employees.

According to relevant reports, an increasing number of companies are requiring employees to return to the office, such as Amazon, which mandates employees to be in the office five days a week. Some well-known companies in the United States have also issued similar policies. For young people entering the workforce, this may be their first experience with a fixed commute, and they must demonstrate visual busyness in the office to validate their work value.

Certain characters, like those from the comedy "The Hangover," have proposed the theory of "looking busy," which makes employee behavior in the office particularly important. The "looking busy" methods mentioned in the reports include walking quickly in the office or typing vigorously to produce unrelated text, all to give the appearance of being busy.

Experts interviewed stated that young people sometimes feel the need to "look busy" due to the pressures of office culture, in order to avoid unnecessary criticism or scrutiny. As jobs become increasingly hard to obtain, young employees cannot afford the risk of losing their jobs.

Moreover, as more tasks are handed over to artificial intelligence, the phenomenon of "looking busy" is becoming more common, with many people beginning to discuss work-related topics while drinking coffee or chatting to disguise their actual activities.

However, for companies, resolving the issue of "looking busy" must start with systems and communication with employees. Experts point out that employees are unwilling to stay in the office without clear objectives. Business leaders need to redefine the meaning of physical attendance to break this vicious cycle of "looking busy."

From a certain perspective, the phenomenon of "looking busy" actually reflects the shortcomings of companies in human resource management. Some companies force employees to return to the office more for the sake of appearance than for genuinely improving work efficiency.

Lastly, experts emphasize that the remote learning and living environments experienced by Generation Z have made them resentful of the notion that "work can only be done in the office," thus, the behavior of "looking busy" is, to some extent, a rebellion and dissatisfaction with the current rules.