Busy, But Unproductive

Did you ever work at a fast food restaurant? If not, let me tell you how it was for me. There were peak times at the restaurant when the place was hopping and then there were times when there weren't any customers in the place. But because you were "on the clock," management felt that you had to be "busy" doing something. Even if all the dishes were clean, the floors mopped, or the counters spotless, you still had to wipe them down again or find "something to do" to keep yourself busy, because heaven forbid you just chill until you get busy with customers again.

So you do meaningless tasks that are unproductive but make you "look" like you are earning your pay. You pretend to be wiping down that already clean counter. You restack the napkins that are already stacked. You over fill the cup holder because there are already enough cups there. You check and recheck to make sure you have enough fries and hamburger patties in the freezer. Everything is stocked. Kitchen is clean. Dining Room is clean. Check. Check. Check. There really isn't anything to DO, but you keep DOING.

The same thing happens in a corporate enviroment...has your manager or you as the manager ever said..."look busy, the head guys are coming today."

Why am I bringing this up you ask? Because every now and then, I find myself getting caught up in that fast food mentality of just looking busy. But then I wonder...Am I getting paid for my production or my presence? Am I getting paid for my experience or my extra clean countertop? Am I getting paid for my proficiency when I actually work or my pretended-ness when I'm actually not working? Am I getting paid for results or repetitive tasks that yield no results?

Tell me...why I am here? Why are you here? What are you doing? What are we doing?
Busy, but unproductive. WOW!