In some workplaces, productivity is measured by how busy you look.

If you were done with your work well before the work day was over, would you take on more work or pretend to be busy?

This man was a hardworking employee who finished his daily tasks early.

However, his supervisor told him to “look busier” as some employees were starting to notice his idle time.

So he decided to follow the advice, which quickly led to a funny office success story.

Read the full story below for all the details.

The art of looking busy.

A few years ago, I was employed at a production company.

I typically finished all of my responsibilities for the 8-to-5 workday well before noon.

After a few months, my supervisor called me aside one day.

He said, “You need to appear to be busier. I am starting to get some feedback that you complete your work too early.”

This man decided to follow his supervisor’s advice.

I inquired if I should assist any of my coworkers or otherwise take on extra work.

He said, “No. Just click your mouse, shuffle some papers, and look serious.”

This was my moment for some ill-mannered compliance.

For the next two weeks, I went full Office Space.

I walked erratically around the office holding a clipboard and looking stressed.

He moved more and did random office stuff.

I clicked in and out of random spreadsheets while squinting my eyes as if I were conducting important work.

I scheduled fake meetings like “Q4 Strategy Alignment.”

I printed out swaths of blank pages just to look dramatic when walking from my desk to the printer.

I even brought in a second monitor featuring graphs that contained no identifiable content.

Would you believe he received a few promotions from it?

A few days in, upper management began praising my work ethic.

Believe it or not, I even received a promotion over another coworker who worked substantially harder than I did.

Fast forward three months, I took a position at the very same company I still work for today.

I can only imagine that my old coworkers mistakenly believed I was some kind of wizard at a corporate level.

That’s funny that his boss actually told him to pretend to be busier instead of actually doing more work. It really worked to his advantage!

Let’s find out what others have to say about this on Reddit.

This person explains the power of the clipboard.

Lol. Here’s a funny comment from this person.

This user shares a similar experience.

This person suggests grabbing an empty folder.

Finally, here’s a valid point from this person.

If only all promotions could be attained by doing this.

If you liked this post, check out this story about an employee who got revenge on a co-worker who kept grading their work suspiciously low.