Working hard or hardly working? More than half of workers have sent unneeded emails or messages just to show they are doing something

• August 8, 2026

• 52% of workers have sent replies to message or emails simply to prove that they are working
• Focused work is being interrupted by the requirement to respond quickly, with response speeds raised in performance evaluations
• More than half have replied at weekends, evenings, or even on annual leave to remain available and accessible

Are you staying in touch with your boss? New research suggests that career performance is being silently evaluated by speedy responses and availability, alongside traditional metrics, and this is resulting in employees interrupting focused work to reassure their managers.

A Use.AI survey of 15,842 adults across the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Latin America has found that 68% of employees believe that replying quickly demonstrates a higher level of commitment than slower colleagues.

There could be an AI element to this, too, with respondents who work extensively with AI feeling that response expectations are higher than those who have less exposure or requirement for the technology.

Fastest fingers first

The results from the survey strongly suggest that managers and team leaders are demanding fast responses, but that this doesn’t necessarily have the desired outcome.

For example, focused work has been interrupted by 48% of those surveyed in order to check emails or messages that might require an urgent response. Meanwhile, more than half (53%) have replied at weekends, evenings, or even on annual leave to remain available and accessible to their line managers.

Perhaps the most surprising result from the survey is that 52% say they have sent unnecessary messages or made changes to their status in messaging tools purely to demonstrate that they are working.

The new demands on employees have not gone unnoticed nor unmentioned. 42% have found themselves discussing their speediness in responding to messages in performance meetings.

Curiously, despite completing work in a timely manner, 29% have been “criticized” for slow responses to messages, highlighting a curious conflict in communication.

Is AI inflating expectations?

The survey also explores the matter of how artificial intelligence tools are impacting workplace expectations. Here, it found that 62% who use AI widely have found expected response times to emails had decreased. Conversely, just 38% of those will less regular AI use noted the same change.

While this doesn’t mean that AI caused that change, the results may suggest that the introduction of AI isn’t just impacting workflows and productivity. Enhanced, smarter systems underpinned by LLMs and agentic solutions are introducing an unforeseen tension, a mistrust from management concerning employees’ ability to devote time to work.

“AI is making routine communication almost effortless, but that convenience is also compressing expectations around response times,” said Use.AI’s Co-Founder and CEO, Ihor Herasymov. “We risk mistaking responsiveness for productivity.”

Fast responses to emails and messages may signal attentiveness, does this necessarily tally with solid results?

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52% of workers have sent replies to message or emails simply to prove that they are working Focused work is being interrupted by the requirement to respond quickly, with response speeds raised in performance evaluations More than half have replied at weekends, evenings, or even on annual leave to remain…