"The survey polled 2,000 workers and found that 54% reported feeling pressure to show their online status by replying to emails and messages, adding comments to

"The survey polled 2,000 workers and found that 54% reported feeling pressure to show their online status by replying to emails and messages, adding comments to Google Docs, or updating project management tools." But that's work, though? I don't get the disconnect where management somehow holds the incompatible views that programmers should be robots that only make code and lots of it, but also think that they need to make water cooler chat to intangibly generate synergy and value (and hence MUST return to the office so they can do this at a real water cooler and nowhere else). Regardless, software engineers are paid to do non-coding tasks, which includes sitting, doing nothing material and thinking, commenting and documenting things, responding to emails and making idle chat over apps equivalent to water cooler talk. I would like to just quietly program all day, but I can't, my butt and my head don't have the fortitude.