The official manual
The Art of Appearing Busy at Work
A manual for the visibly occupied.
Purposeful walking. Meeting theatre. The permanently green status light. An illustrated workplace satire about the considerable effort required to demonstrate that effort is occurring.
The Department presents
An official introduction.
Full calendars. Green status lights. Meetings about meetings. The Department presents the considerable effort required to demonstrate that effort is occurring.
Across 21 chapters, the illustrated manual examines purposeful walking, meeting theatre, strategic vocabulary and the permanently green status lamp. Departmental charts, employee field notes and Emergency Busy Phrases provide further evidence that the matter is being attended to.
Doing the work is only part of the job. The rest involves ensuring that somebody notices. You may recognise your workplace. Any recognition of yourself should be recorded as professional development.
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An official announcement for the visibly occupied.
The Department of Optics & Appearances has reviewed your performance. Unfortunately, some of your useful work appears to have gone unwitnessed.
Please consult The Art of Appearing Busy at Work, a manual for the visibly occupied.
This illustrated satire examines the modern workplace, where doing the work is only part of the job. The rest involves ensuring that somebody notices.
The calendar must remain full, the status lamp must remain green, and the shared document must continue improving, preferably without ever becoming final.
Across twenty-one chapters, the Department investigates purposeful walking, meeting theatre, strategic vocabulary, and the considerable effort required to demonstrate that effort is occurring.
Inside, you will find departmental charts, employee field notes, Emergency Busy Phrases, a Busyness Audit, and a Certificate of Perceived Productivity.
For situations in which evidence would be helpful, but a certificate is available.
You may recognise your workplace. You may recognise your colleagues. Any recognition of yourself should be recorded as professional development.
The Art of Appearing Busy at Work. One hundred and twenty-eight illustrated pages. Now in public circulation. Obtain your copy through the Department website.
You may now resume appearing busy.
Workplace satire for the visibly occupied.
Your activity
has been noted.
Useful work is welcome.
Please ensure it is witnessed.
Exhibit A · Departmental findings
Tap or click to enlarge Attendance was mandatory;
outcomes optional.Meetings with No WitnessesRead the field note
The manager scheduled a weekly “alignment session” designed to prepare for other alignment sessions. Attendance was mandatory; outcomes optional. After three months, no one could recall what alignment originally meant — but the recurring slot was deemed “mission-critical” and preserved indefinitely in the corporate calendar.
The Art of Appearing Busy at Work, p. 41
Free Department paperwork
Further evidence of professional activity.
A Pen Licence. A questionable honour. Five phrases for occasions when a conclusion would be premature.
Inspect the free downloadsDownload individually or all three together.
The Busyness Audit
Your professional motion awaits classification.
Fourteen observations.
One provisional classification.
Tap or click to enlarge Separate, optional correspondence
Notes from
the Department
Occasional observations on office life, questionable productivity and the art of looking occupied, plus news of our publications.
A separate invitation. The free paperwork requires no subscription.