Not long ago, Budweiser ran a funny TV ad about its fictional Bud Lite Institute, which had invented the “Fake 3000 Coffee Cup” that a person could program to run at any time, thus giving the illusion that the person was hard at work somewhere in the office when, in fact, they were loafing somewhere. You may have seen it since it was a lot of fun.

I’ve met quite a few labor counterfeiters in my time. Most dress quite nicely with sleeves rolled up, ties undone, or shirts untucked—anything to make it look like they’re hard at work. They also like to keep their desks cluttered and always bring a lot of paperwork to meetings. You may not have noticed, but they are the same papers that they have been carrying for weeks and they are of no material importance. As the Bud Lite ad indicates, labor counterfeiters like to get there early, but they are rare to find.

Job phonies believe that the most important thing is the time they put in during the day, not what they produce. I’m sorry but it’s the opposite. Managers don’t really care how much time you put in during the day, it’s what you produce that they care about the most. If they believe otherwise, then they are just as incompetent as the job phony.

I also see many young people picking up on the habits of the fake job, particularly the disorganized aspect of the office. Let me ask you something; Since when can a slacker get over someone who’s in control? Frankly, I’d rather see people clean up their personal appearance and desk. This would tell me that they are at least organized and disciplined, and not trying to hide something.

Yes, appearances are important, but being able to produce quality goods and services on time and on budget must be considered paramount.