Editing Busy work (section)

==Education and work settings==
[[File:Lightmatter paperwork.jpg|thumb|The constant processing of [[wikt:paperwork|paperwork]] can be a form of busy work, particularly in situations when it is a lower priority compared to other tasks.]]
In business and work settings, people may engage in busy work to maintain an [[Presenteeism|appearance of activity]] to protect their employment status (to avoid [[termination of employment|termination]] or sanctions).<ref name="Slack">(2001) [https://books.google.com/books?id=3AuP7HV14SYC Slack: Getting Past Burnout, Busywork, and the Myth of Total Efficiency - Tom DeMarco - Google Books <!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

Workers believe that it is more important to maintain a constant appearance of working urgently so that they and others believe that what is being done is important. Constant urgency in workers can lead to disproportionate distribution of actual work, as workers may put off important work by attempting to complete previously designated less important tasks. Maintaining very high levels of constant busyness may actually be detrimental to the operations of a business or organization in which new tasks are not undertaken in a timely manner because workers are always very busy.<ref name="Slack"/> That can also lead to workers taking shortcuts to accomplish tasks more quickly, which can negatively affect the quality of work results.<ref name="Slack"/>

Busy work also can be counterproductive in work settings because it may not be aligned with the overall objectives and priorities of an organization's plans for attaining and maintaining success in its ventures.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkotter/2012/01/19/why-busy-work-doesnt-work/ | title=Why Busy Work Doesn't Work | work=Forbes Magazine | date=January 19, 2012 | access-date=September 1, 2012 | author=Kotter, John}}</ref> The assumption that activity in the workplace is more important than productivity in the workplace can lead to employees thinking that quantity of work is better than quality of work, which is not productive to the overall functioning of a business.