October 1, 2026, 5:09 a.m. ET
As return-to-office mandates tighten, hybrid workers are turning to a new survival tactic: calendar tracking.
Employees obsessively follow their bosses’ Outlook schedules to maximize face-to-face time, coordinating their own office days so they can make strategic visits.
Stanford economist Nick Bloom calls this behavior “peacocking” – showing up just to show off. Bloom remembers being told by a national retailer that the carpet next to a key manager’s office was literally worn out by employees constantly strutting around.
“I’m pretty sure the same savvy employees as Peacock are also likely to post billboards — presenting themselves strategically,” Bloom said.
This trend is a direct result of strict attendance policies requiring staff to be present in physical offices three to five days per week.
While executives say in-person presence fuels innovation and culture, workers facing longer commutes and higher expenses are taking a more pragmatic approach. If they have to be in the office, they’ll make sure the person writing their performance review sees them.
Workplace analytics firm Owl Labs calls these office appearances “posting days” — an evolution of the “coffee badge,” the habit of 4 in 10 workers of swiping an ID card, grabbing a coffee and heading home.
According to the latest State of Hybrid Work report from Owl Labs, nearly half of workers admit that they choose or plan to choose their work days based on who will be there to notice them. Managers are leading the charge, with 83% of them participating in the practice.
This trend is most popular with full-time office workers (34%), followed by hybrid workers (32%). The appeal is cross-generational, but it has had the most success with Generation Z, with 47% of them having tried it, followed by Millennials (36%). Older workers are more reluctant. Only 22% of Gen Xers do so and 11% of baby boomers.
For many, it’s simply career insurance in a volatile job market, ensuring their face is at the top of the list when decisions about promotions or layoffs are made. Research suggests they may be right: Even passive face-to-face time – running into a manager in the elevator or over coffee – counts.
“In this new world of attendance tracking, employees need to meet attendance metrics and you can be sure they are using all their intelligence to achieve those goals,” Bloom said.
Enforcing rigid mandates in the office speaks to a deeper failure of leadership trust — one that prioritizes looking busy over actual performance, warned Brian Elliot, Work Forward CEO and executive advisor.
Employees still find it helpful to come to the office, but only under good conditions, Elliot said. They seek in-person collaboration, team connection, and problem solving. But when managers associate physical presence with productivity, they also show up when company leaders observe them.
It’s no surprise that managers and leaders are doing it even more because they face even more pressure and know that too often attendance is what gets noticed even if their results are strong, Elliot said. He hears this all the time.
“The name ‘Billboard Days’ says it all,” he said. “The message is ‘look at me, I’m here’.”
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