Why being ‘lazy’ at work might actually be a good thing

If you’re a young person today, you’ve probably felt the sting of being called lazy, or caught yourself wondering if you are. Do you sometimes feel guilty when not being productive, or find yourself pretending to be busy?

You’re not alone. Self-doubt about productivity is very common and no wonder: we’re immersed in a culture that expects constant achievement. The perception of gen Z (and millennials) being “lazy” or “entitled” persists^[1], making it easy to internalise these criticisms.

Particularly in the era of working from home, it can be hard to shake the feeling of guilt when not being “productive”. Articles with titles like Am I Depressed or Lazy?^[2] reveals how commonly people (even highly successful ones^[3]) worry about being lazy.

Laziness is not only seen as a personal shortcoming but also a moral one. This is the case across different cultures – references to the “badness” of laziness can be found in texts of all major religions^[4]. This moral dimension explains why being called “lazy” feels so much worse than being called “distracted” or “slow” — it implies a character flaw.

But judging someone (or oneself) as lazy also reinforces a harmful myth^[5] that emerged from the Protestant work ethic^[6] and was further entrenched by capitalist values: that constant effort and productivity are the only paths to achievement and self-worth.

This sustains a culture where everyone must always be trying harder, leading to anxiety, burnout^[7] and discrimination against those who work differently, or can’t keep up.

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