I thought this was just a retail/client-facing thing, but it turns out industries all over the midwest have adopted this rhetoric that you must look busy even if all the work that can be done is completed.
I'm on my second week at a new print production job and asked for training on a new operation since we're all caught up, and I was given the response to “just look busy”. So I spent about 30 minutes wiping down my station with isopropyl and organizing papers. Now I'm taking an extended break as I write to strangers on the internet. I know the only downside is that maybe my operations lead looks bad, but I already put my foot forward and was pushed back.
I want to know what you guys do in situations where you have to look busy when you're not. It always seems to be the bosses rather than the consumers worrying about employees looking busy or not.