Is the big secret of many jobs that people fake being busy?

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... While also doing the job well enough to not cause trouble, and spending a lot of time making connections as an "anti-fire" measure? I'm starting to think that's the case, and that not picking up on this and playing along is why I've struggled in pretty much all the jobs I've ever held, despite being qualified and making good work.

A good example is my current job with a company selling tech. I work on a 3-person team to process and troubleshoot, among other tasks. When I arrived at the company, I would try to do as much work as possible -- after all, I was getting paid, and didn't want to insult my coworkers who were always talking about how busy they were by looking like I didn't care. I would see people sitting on the couch or in the breakroom socializing, sometimes for up to an hour, and feel guilty about joining while I was on the clock and there was work to be done (even if not time-sensitive).

Long story short, this gets me nowhere. The company is disorganized, and there's fault to be found in everything. People are constantly stressed, annoyed, losing things, blaming each other, etc. The more work you do, the more there is to find fault with. I spent last week on a project I sought out myself, done as instructed by my boss. Today, my senior teammate told me my work was incorrect and had caused problems, to stop doing it that way, and that our boss agreed to swap to a new method. Funny story... the "new" way is one I'd already tried and was told not to do. So much for that.

My successful coworkers who've been here for years aren't like me. They're not lazy or unskilled, but they spend a lot of time away from their desks and often shunt work from salespeople they don't like if it's not time-critical. They're not chasing achievement through the work itself. They're hugely social in the workplace, vent to each other, tell stories, and have regular coffee breaks. They don't get nipped and monitored as much as I do, and are considered experts.

Is this what I'm missing... ? I've been reading about office politics, and a lot of it makes sense here. No one is really that busy, but there's this huge social-political game going on? I took on that project because honestly, I don't have 8 hours of work most days. I have 0-3. I'm starting to feel like I would be more successful, trusted, and secure in my job if I played along with this idea. If I stretched out a few hours of work into a full day, filled time with studying, and took more time to socialize with coworkers so that I'd be seen as an essential piece of the company socially.

When someone says they're busy, is the correct answer not "Anything I can do to help?", but "Yes, me too, they give us so much", and to go have coffee for an hour? Maybe not literally, but the thought process of it.

Yes, in many places socializing is essential. It is the only way to really figure out what you are suppose to be doing.

In theory, management would tell you what to do. In most places it is too dis functional to do so. So, the social network effectively fills in for the lack of management.

It also provides an important information stream. Who is the new girl? Did he leave or get fired? Who is really in charge and who is just a figurehead? Sometimes these things are never announced.

So, yes, by socializing one can work much more effectively. And get more done in a few hours than an Aspie working furiously all day.

Typically I'll work in "Aspie" mode on Monday mornings when management is preoccupied with their weekly meeting. The new guy expected me to be to be listening in, so I made him repeat what he was saying.
Then I'll get more social.
By the end of the week I'll be in "learning mode." Or taking time off as I have a ton of time that comes with seniority. My boss lets me schedule time at the last moment, so I've been picking days based on weather.

Much of what is said rings true for what happens at my work, management don't care about issues relating to my health despite been let off so many things like leaving work abruptly, going to work in another department, but now it seems its all caught up to me, making me do the more mundane tasks in the workplace as a form of punishment which is pushing me further into a corner and is making me want to escape and eventually just quit the job altogether.

I think the important thing about socializing at work is to participate, at least occasionally, so you aren't clueless to what is going around you. And patiently listening to you co-workers rant. That is a worthwhile use of time where I work.

I'm not coming from the position of "ew, socializing is for NTs", mind you. I have coffee and chat with coworkers, and we're on good terms. I would not take those hour-long breaks or loudly complain about the company, though. I tried to do a proper 6-8 hours of work a day and improve things to gain recognition, even when that meant asking for more or going looking for it.

What an idiot I've been...

I suppose the 4-6 hours of free time I have a day can go towards studying for certification in better paying jobs if it's all the same. I hope that's not a waste of time, too.

I can do that 6-8 hours a day if I want to because I'm special. I'm also highly compensated compared to the guys I work with. But I don't have to.

Most people on the spectrum can't do "a proper day's work" because it raises the standard for everyone else. Being special and being compensated for it means I don't raise the standard for anyone else.

It could be a good strategy, to "fake being busy", so that the boss is more reluctant to give you more work

But maybe it is not a "big secret". It sounds like standard practice

While I am no role model, sometimes , the "office politics" is just as "important" as the job itself

Otherwise, co-workers find you Curt and aloof

Yes, that is not fair to introverts or autistics

It is standard practice in companies with multiple departments. Information rarely goes up the chain up of command and back down to the people who need it. Much easier to pass that sort of stuff along at the water cooler or lunch room.

Office politics are the pits. I can't say how happy I was to see one colleague leave this time last year. Since then the bosses have appreciated how poison she was. Since I brought in clients by recommendation in the last year, my standing has gone up hugely, which is nice.

Not sure about you, but I'd rather work hard so time passes quickly and I can get out. While I like my current colleagues, I don't have a lot in common with them.

Yeah, that's why I quit the conventional jobs route and went disability pay while at the same time being an artist and writer who rarely stops working. (I know it seems like I'm on here a lot but even I need to goof off sometimes, I work every day and from 9AM to 11pm excluding lunch breaks). I had a breakdown over it.

Basically to do a conventional job, you have to not be too busy and not be cross when others don't work. And not be a perfectionist. But do some work otherwise you'll get laid off for that too. Personally I'm an all or nothing sort of a worker.

And a lot of places clearly don't want autistic people there. For eg mum's boss sent an email around everyone saying 'bullying can happen between adults and from bottom to top and it can sometimes be in the body language you use'. All because someone shook her head at her in a meeting. Mum wants to get out and do her actual job with clients but instead she has to do meetings and team building and sucking up to her boss.

Many people do fake being busy. I'm not sure what it is that causes things to be this way.

I generally can be extremely efficient and effective at my job. However, in certain circumstances, I've found myself mentally locked up and unable to be very productive. I think it has been in situations where social demand has been high or my task is not clear enough, both things that have to do with autism. In any case there have been stretches of time where I have to "look busy" and remain in the office even though I'm mentally unable to work through what I need to work on. There are some days I have just browsed the web most of the day... not because I want to, but because my brain is just stuck. It's hard to explain... I'm either in the zone or I'm not. Eventually the pressure builds up enough or a deadline approaches where I'm forced to break through whatever is blocking me, and then I have insane bursts of productivity.

I can't really speak for NTs and why they are so inefficient at times. I can say that my colleague in the cubicle next to me spent an enormous amount of time handling his own family affairs: he had young kids and such. I've since had my own kids and have come to appreciate why this family stuff done was at work. I suspect a lot of others are just burnt out, jaded, or don't care.

Where I worked, the social game was less important, and people were rewarded for the quality of work rather than the relationships. But I think that company was a rare gem, and when it got larger things changed for the worse. I don't expect I'll ever find a company like that again.

Your manager typically dictates how much work is required for you to stay employed. I spend a lot of time on the Internet and my boss is happy with my work. I get a lot done in a very short amount of time as I read and type very fast. I can take a phone call and calculate the square root of 7 in 15 minutes. The hard part was figuring out post my work in text format.

Where I work the work policy varies according to the department manager.

If you read the posts on WP some Aspies will be very productive if they "hook up" with the right manager.

Most people slack off in retail.
I work my but off and few times I stop and chat with someone I get in trouble like today
I was working hard stopped and chatted with another employ for 10 mins when manager comes by and gets mad. If he’d came by ten mins earlier he’d seen me working hard. Now he thinks I’m a slacker.
Mean whole most everyone gathers in groups and chats ignoring customers so I end up stopping my work to help the customers.
Like said many of them have connections and have been here for long time so they get away with it. One of the new manager started slacking off to get on the good side of a slacker who told him he’s done it for years and gets oked to do it. Probably 1/8 of the employees work and the rest just slack off. A lot of the leads slack off and think themselves above working like the regular employees. I dont know how anything gets done.
I’m constantly in fear of getting fired and I give it my all 90% of the time. No one likes me but they like me less since I work all the time and they don’t. If I’m helping a customer in another department managers give me looks like why are you out of your department, but other workers will literally be shopping on shift in other departments. Few of them just walk around the store anything but work their department or surf the internet all shift. But I’ll be the one who gets fired. They think the other guy is right that because me and him actual work most the time they hold us to higher standards where as with the others they just happy if they work at all.

It is like that TV show "Survivor." If you work at it too hard you will be seen as a threat and be voted off the show!

No, no, no, no, NO NO NO!

This cannot be how the world works. Is this not utterly disturbing to anyone else?

Hate to burst your bubble but that’s how the word works and not just for jobs.