What is busy bragging? Why is it considered toxic?

Are you constantly boasting about being busy at work?

Be warned.

You might be busy bragging – indulging in behaviour that seeks to show off your commitment to the job.

Unfortunately, it may all be for nothing.

This is because a new study has found that employees who busy brag are considered less competent and aren’t as well liked by their colleagues.

But what do we know about this new study? And why is busy bragging considered toxic?

Let’s take a closer look:

According to NDTV, the study was led by Jessica Rodell – a professor of management at the University of Georgia’ Terry College of Business

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Rodell and her team polled 360 people.

The respondents were told to assess statements from imaginary colleagues coming back from a conference.

While some colleagues said they were happy, others complained about their workload being increased beyond the breaking point.

“I was already stressed to the max … you have no idea the stress that I am under,” read the made-up response, as per New York Post.

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“This is a behaviour we’ve all seen, and we all might be guilty of at some point,” said Rodell. “When I was wondering about why people do this, I thought maybe we are talking about our stress because we want to prove we’re good enough. We found out that often backfires.”

“People are harming themselves by doing this thing they think is going to make them look better to their colleagues,” Rodell said.

According to Fox5NY, the signs of a busy bragger are:

• They continuously harp on how busy they are

• Still, they don’t work much (especially tasks assigned specifically to them)

• They often boast about their achievements (big or small)

• They also seek praise constantly

“Busy braggers seem to be more driven by recognition and rewards rather than the satisfaction of getting work done,” the piece noted.

Rodell and her team also polled 218 workers who dealt with busy braggers.

They found that exposure to such people led to increased stress levels at work and burn out spiking.

Rodell said this is because stress-bragging creates a situation wherein feeling overwhelmed is seen as a plus.

This forces others to take on a similar attitude – making things worse for co-workers.

The New York Post quoted Rodell as saying that a colleague’s busy bragging can make it seem like it’s a “good thing to be stressed.”

They thus infect the “co-worker next to them.”

“They wind up feeling more stressed, which leads to higher burnout or withdrawal from their work,” she explained. “Think of it as this spiraling contagious effect from one person to the next.”

This makes stress worse and can lead to feeling disconnected from work, as per NDTV.

Rodell said employees shouldn’t feel bad about actually feeling stressed

“It’s not the being stressed part that’s a problem,” Rodell said. “If you genuinely feel stressed, it’s OK to find the right confidant to share with and talk about it. But be mindful that it is not a badge of honor to be bragged about — that will backfire.”

The results of the research shouldn’t be shocking.

According to Fox5Ny, a 2023 State of Work report by Salesforce discovered that almost 32 per cent of employees spend their time on performative work – which makes them only appear busy.

And the New York Post reported that a 2018 study showed that humble braggers are far more disliked than regular old braggarts.

With inputs from agencies