Performative Work Outshines Real Impact in Today’s Workplace
The 2025 Connext Confidence Gap Survey reveals why employees are optimizing for appearances—not outcomes—and what it means for your business.
Our 2025 Connext Confidence Gap Survey uncovers a striking workplace reality: two-thirds of U.S. employees admit to “productivity theater”—doing things that look productive rather than drive results. At the same time, fewer than one in four say their performance is measured by clear, outcome-tied metrics.
The result? Burnout, frustration, and a system that prioritizes speed and visibility over true impact.
This survey pulls back the curtain on what employees really think—and why the current way of measuring performance is broken.
In This Report:
Inside the full report, you’ll find data-backed insights every leader, HR professional, and executive needs to know:
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Productivity Theater Is the Norm
66% of employees admit they’ve faked productivity just to be noticed. -
Visibility Trumps Results
64% say they’re rewarded for optics like being “always on,” not for business impact. -
Return-to-Office Bias
69% believe RTO mandates are about visibility, not productivity—while morale drops by 22 points. -
Moving Goalposts Undermine Motivation
55% say shifting goals crush motivation and trust in leadership. -
Employees Want Change
77% want results-based performance systems, real-time feedback, and clearer success metrics.
The takeaway is clear: today’s performance systems reward optics over outcomes, and employees are demanding reform.
Companies that answer this call will win in morale, retention, and trust. Those that don’t will keep rewarding rituals instead of results.
Don’t just skim the headlines. Dive into the full data, analysis, and actionable recommendations in the complete Connext Confidence Gap Survey 2025.
