Busy Bragging: The New Toxic Trait That Coworkers Hate

Do you have that one coworker who always seems to be busy and makes sure everyone knows it? The one who constantly details the tasks on their plate, how little time they have to finish them, and how important  and stressful their job is? The one who jokes about having to look for the light switch because they've been working in the dark for so long?

Meet your friendly office “busy bragger.” These are the people in your workplace who always boast about being super-busy, drained and so over-committed they never time for themselves. It’s almost like they get an ego boost from being the most overly challenged and swamped person in the room.

While it's completely valid to vent about legitimate stress and workload, glorifying your  busyness is something else entirely. A subtle way of seeking validation and admiration, it's a form of toxic behavior that can be damaging to morale in the workplace.

The Rise and Rise of Busy Bragging

Busy bragging, also called stress bragging, is when someone keeps mentioning how busy they are to show you that they’re committed to doing their job or are the most important person in the room. It's a form of boasting that has become increasingly common in today's fast-paced work culture.

Although busy braggers might have good intentions, they often come off as arrogant or self-absorbed. A recent study published in Personnel Psychology revealed that when employees brag about how busy they are, they seem less, instead of more, competent. It also makes their coworkers like them less—no one likes a show-off.

Why Busy Bragging is So Toxic 

Busy bragging three major negative effects. It harms the person doing the bragging, the person they’re talking to, and everyone else around them in a contagion effect. Here's why:

1. It damages workplace relationships

Busy bragging often backfires on the person doing it because it makes them unlikable. When a braggart focuses on their own efforts and achievements, it feels like they're minimizing everyone else's. This sets up an "I'm better than you" dynamic, leading to resentment and tension between coworkers. Eventually, the busy bragger's coworkers may stop offering help or collaborating with them, leading to a breakdown in teamwork and productivity.

2. Stress is contagious

Drawing attention to your work sounds innocent enough, but it can cause a lot of damage. When someone is always busy bragging about their productivity, coworkers feel compelled to keep up. That puts the whole office at risk of experiencing burnout by making them feel pressured to compete with each other. Over time, a culture develops that normalizes being busy and stressed all the time.

3. It harms mental health

Constantly boasting about how busy you are can be detrimental to your mental health. Constantly portraying yourself as a martyr for working so hard ultimately takes a toll on your well-being, leading to high levels of anxiety and stress. This is mostly because there's no escaping this situation—once you've set expectations, you have to keep meeting them.

Why Do People Busy Brag? 

#1: They crave validation

The main reason why people busy brag is they crave validation. It's an attempt to prove their worth and importance by getting others to recognize their struggles and hard work. They want people to listen to them, admire them and validate how busy they are. For example, on the 16-type system, ENFJs and ESFJs  are known for wanting to be liked and appreciated, so they may resort to busy bragging as a way of receiving validation from others. Enneagram Twos have similar motivations.

Underlying this could be a deep-seated feeling of insecurity. The busy bragger might be genuinely overworked because they've fallen into the trap of people pleasing in an effort to prove their self-worth. They might also be suffering from impostor syndrome, the feeling of being a fraud and fearing that others will find out they're not as competent as they seem. Busy bragging is a way to cover up these insecurities by projecting an image of productivity and importance.

#2: They're perfectionists

Some people may busy brag because they have perfectionist tendencies. They want to be seen as always busy and stressed because it's a way for them to show off their high standards, making sure everyone knows how important their work is and how much effort goes into it.

Type A personalities, Enneagram Ones , INTJ and INFJ personalities and those with a Sensor-Judger temperament are more likely to do this. They're organized, task-oriented and ambitious, so they may end up taking on too much work in an attempt to prove their competence. This leads them to be constantly busy and stressed, which they then use as a badge of honor.

#3. They’re status-chasers

People who love to busy brag might view being busy or stressed as status symbols, assuming it makes them seem more important and essential to the organization. They might even think it shows that they’re skilled and competent. If that sounds like something an Enneagram Three, ESTJ or ENTJ would think, it's because those personality types put a lot of emphasis on status and achievement. We're not saying that these types are destined to become busy braggers, but their desire for status and recognition may make them more likely to engage in this behavior.

How to Avoid Busy Bragging 

If you catch yourself busy bragging, it's essential to take a step back and address the underlying issues that are causing this behavior. Here are some tips on how to stop:

• Choose productivity over busyness. Working smart, such as by improving your time management skills, is healthier than being busy just for the sake of it. You’ll get more done instead of draining your energy by overextending yourself. 
• Concentrate on your achievements instead of other people’s. It’s easy to get distracted by other people’s success, which can make you want to be busier to be seen as more valuable. Remind yourself that your worth isn’t limited to your career accolades. 
• Encourage a healthy work-life balance. Who are you outside the office when you’re not chasing a deadline? You’re more than your job title, so dedicate time to the rest of your life.
• Unplug from your devices. Since your phone keeps notifying you of work emails, even after hours, it can cause anxiety and make you worry that you should be working. Put your device on “do not disturb” mode after hours so you don’t get a hit of stress you don’t need.  
• Be wary of trying to be busy because you’re procrastinating. You might keep yourself busy with other tasks because you’re afraid of starting the big project on your desk. Overcome procrastination by giving yourself just five or 10 minutes to work on it—starting is always the hardest part! 

Final Thoughts 

If you’re guilty of busy bragging in the workplace, you could be alienating your bosses or coworkers, while contributing to a stressful work culture. Nip it in the bud by understanding where your impulse is coming from, such as feelings of insecurity, so you can stop being the person your coworkers roll their eyes about when you leave the room.  Instead, you can become the one who’s always got such a handle on your work that no one else needs to know how busy you are.