This is a good question. It's an initial reaction, the fast thinking part of my brain. I suspect it triggers a sense of fear. Here are a few ideas as to why: -

This is a good question. It's an initial reaction, the fast thinking part of my brain. I suspect it triggers a sense of fear. Here are a few ideas as to why: - They will think I'm either too slow or not working hard enough. - They will ask me to do it faster which may or may not be feasible. Pushing back on this may be hard. - The question itself adds extra pressure. Someone is waiting for me. - I feel like I'm being watched. - I feel like I'm being micro managed. The anxiety doesn't last long. Once my rational brain kicks in I move past it quickly. I do wonder though if these small moments of anxiety build up over time. Interestingly, when I wrote this original post I was thinking about when product managers ask this question rather than a direct manager. I haven't experienced this anxiety when communicating with my manager. The dynamic between engineers and PMs is an interesting one. I don't think the tension between the two groups is talked about enough. I agree with your opinion. When someone is behind it's almost never because they aren't working hard. However, it's difficult for an individual to make that distinction. This is especially challenging for junior engineers. As I've become more senior this has been less of an issue.