Check out ‘Busy Bragging’ – another office trend causing employee burnout and reduced organisational productivity

The past few years has seen quite a few terms emerge in the employment / corporate landscape for example quiet quitting, resenteeism, rage applying, coffee badging etc, especially after the covid-19 period.

Busy bragging is another term that is doing the rounds. 

What is Busy Bragging?

Busy bragging is another form of boasting that involves individuals exaggerating and emphasising how busy they are with their work and responsibilities. This behaviour often seeks to convey a sense of importance, productivity and indispensability.

It can be said that about why an employee gets into this behaviour, it could arise from a desire to gain recognition and achievement from colleagues and seniors. It can also be that the employees are doing this to hide inefficient time management.

Individuals use busy bragging to flaunt their packed schedules and emphasise their dedication and importance at work. Its primarily driven by social and cultural factors where overwork is seen as a badge of honour.

Busy Bragging can be observed in?

The term is most commonly seen in various industries and roles, but it tends to be more prevalent where there is competition, status and long hours are highly valued. Although it depends on the culture of the organisation but it is found that in some particular fields like consulting, long hours are required as they work within tight guidelines with many people.

How Busy Bragging Leads to Burnout and ways of dealing with it?

While this trend may seem not severe or need any taken care of, it can lead to severe employee burnout and overall reduction in organisational productivity. This, if continued in the long run, can lead to chronic stress and mental fatigue.

Burnout can also take place if employees tend to work more than their limits. Thus to be careful and stay away from mental and physical exhaustion, workers are generally advised to set employees with who are busy bragging and focus on the solutions and efficient work methods.