Boss forces worker to stay and work late despite having nothing to do, gets paid to read: 'My boss was speechless'

"People who work hard work more hours…" This is probably something you've heard before and probably from your boss who wants everyone to know how many hours a week they work, wearing their overworkedness like a badge of honor—a testament to their dedication. The thing is… Is this even true? Where did this idea that sitting at your desk for more hours mean you're working harder even come from? It's not as if the simple amount of hours you work actually has any bearing on how much work you've done or what your production output is. For all we know, you're just sitting at your desk for half that time twiddling your thumbs while your counterparts manage as much productivity in half the time. It's not as if every worker is always going to have an infinite amount of work to do; at a certain point in the week during a slow period, you're stretching things out as much as possible to make it look like you're doing something. What office worker hasn't, at some point, experienced the standoff that is waiting for your old-fashioned boss to leave the office so that you can go home without being judged despite having finished your work sometime before?

And yet, this idea is one that a lot of managers and workplaces hold on to, like this manager who demanded that their workers stay and work overtime to show their mettle even when not necessary. This worker maliciously complied with the request, staying put at their desk, reading their book, and getting paid for it.