Ghostworking: 58% Admit They’re Pretending to Work on a Regular Basis
Resume Now Survey Reveals How Employees Fake Productivity and Job Hunt on the Clock
A survey from Resume Now®, an AI resume building service, reveals that a significant number of employees are engaging in "ghostworking"—pretending to work while doing little to no meaningful work. According to the Ghostworking Report, 58% of employees admit to regularly pretending to be working, while another 34% occasionally engage in similar behavior. Even more alarming, a whopping 92% of workers have job-searched during their work hours.
As companies explore ways to improve productivity, the data suggests that time-wasting isn’t just about distractions, it’s also about the pressure to appear busy. Employees have developed creative strategies to maintain the illusion of productivity, even as many report wasting more time while working remotely than in the office.
Key Findings:
- 58% of employees admit to regularly pretending to work, while 34% do so occasionally.
- 23% of employees have walked around the office with a notebook to appear busy, and 22% have typed randomly to seem engaged.
- Workers are slightly more prone to wasting time when they work from home (43%), compared to the office (37%).
- A whopping 92% of workers have job-searched during work hours.
- Workers admit they edit their resumes (24%) on the clock and 23% have even applied for jobs using work computers (23%).
Ghostworking: The Strategies Behind It
The survey highlights the common strategies employees use to create the illusion of productivity at work:
- 23% of employees admit to walking around the office with a notebook to look busy.
- 22% have typed randomly to appear engaged.
- 15% have held a phone to their ear with no real call, while another 15% have kept a spreadsheet open while browsing unrelated content.
- 12% have scheduled fake meetings to avoid real work.
- 12% of respondents said they never fake productivity.
“Many employees feel pressure to appear busy rather than actually being productive,” says Keith Spencer, career expert at Resume Now. “Rather than focusing on monitoring, companies should explore why employees feel the need to fake productivity and consider addressing underlying issues like unproductive meetings and communication gaps.”
Job Hunting on Company Time
The survey found that a whopping 92% of workers have job-searched during work hours.
- 55% of employees have regularly searched for a new job while on the clock.
- 37% have occasionally searched for a new job during work hours.
- The most common bold job-hunting move is using company time to edit resumes (24%).
- Applying for jobs using work computers (23%) and taking recruiter calls from the office (20%) are also significant actions.
- A smaller group (19%) has snuck out for an interview.
Remote vs. Office Work: Where Are Employees Wasting More Time?
The survey revealed that work setting impacts time-wasting habits:
- 47% of employees feel they waste more time when working from home.
- 37% say they waste more time in the office.
- 16% say they waste about the same amount of time in both settings.
Biggest Distractions at Work
Employees identified the most common distractions they face in the workplace:
In the Office:
- Technical issues (e.g., slow internet or software problems) – 16%
- Coffee/lunch breaks that run long – 15%
- Corporate socializing (office birthdays, team lunches) – 15%
- Chatty coworkers – 14%
- Random interruptions from managers – 14%
- Office noise – 11%
When Working Remotely:
- Background noise from housemates – 40%
- Internet or power outages – 35%
- Family members not respecting work hours – 35%
- Household emergencies – 33%
- Loud construction from neighbors – 32%
- Pets disrupting important calls – 32%
- Unexpected doorbell interruptions – 27%
Would Monitoring Improve Productivity?
The survey also explored whether monitoring employee activity would increase productivity:
- 69% of employees believe they would be more productive if their employer monitored their screen time.
- 19% say monitoring would not change their work habits.
- 10% say they would just find other ways to take breaks.
- 3% say it wouldn’t matter because they already stay focused.
To view the full report with more information, please visit https://www.resume-now.com/job-resources/careers/ghostworking-report or contact Kathy Gardner at kathy.gardner@bold.com.
Methodology:
The findings provided were gathered through a survey conducted with 1,127 American workers on February 25, 2025. Participants were asked about their time-wasting habits, workplace distractions, and the frequency of procrastination at work. Participants responded to various question types, including yes/no questions, open-ended questions, scale-based questions gauging agreement levels, and questions that permitted the selection of multiple options from a list of answers.
About Resume Now
Since 2005, Resume Now has offered job seekers a fast and easy way to create a beautifully designed, expert-backed resume. With pre-written, industry-specific phrases and recruiter-approved templates, the award-winning builder enables users to create a polished and professional resume in minutes. Resume Now has been featured in major outlets such as Fortune, Forbes, and more. Stay connected with Resume Now’s latest updates onFacebook and LinkedIn.
