Do we really need more terms like this? It feels like people can’t even agree on what this new one means . . .
Have you heard the term “CLOCK BOTCHING” yet? A writer in the U.K. coined it last month. And it means one of two things, or maybe both. (???)
“Forbes” describes it as when you “look busy but aren’t actually producing meaningful results.” And you’re “stretching small tasks into entire afternoons.”
That makes it sound intentional, like you’re just trying to run out the clock each day and not get much done. So then you don’t get assigned more work. But we’ve already got terms for that, like “task-masking” and “fauxductivity.”
The ORIGINAL definition is different: The writer who coined “clock botching” said it’s “when workers end up doing more hours than they’re paid for. Not out of ambition, but because they CAN’T get through their workload in time.”
She also says clock botchers are usually the “first one in the office, and the last to leave.” So that makes it sound NOT intentional. There’s just too much on their plate, or they’re not very organized.
A writer for Inc.com confused things even more by saying it’s an aggressive form of “clock WATCHING,” where you’re counting the minutes before you leave work.
Maybe it’s all of the above. But whatever it means, they all agree it’s a SERIOUS problem in 2025, caused by burnout and people feeling less engaged overall.
(Or maybe all these writers are just flubbing facts while sprinting to get clicks. In fact, we’re gonna coin a new term: They’re “CLICK BOTCHING.”)
