Preferential treatment of seemingly busy employees is not limited to high-octane firms. I worked for an electric utility for a few years as an analyst, and it didn't matter that I finished my job in two hours per day. I can't leave early or work remotely because my peers might <i>feel badly</i>. I can't do the work of three people for a a modest pay increase of 50% because every manager wants their team to grow! How else will they show that they can manage just as many people as a VP? I can't use my extra time to automate tedious processes because "then what will everyone do?"<p>Every manager up the chain wants to look busy, important, and essential. The easiest way to do that is force everyone below them to run around like chickens with their heads cut off, lamenting how far behind they are on email. "If only we could hire more people," they cry. Even the investor interests don't align with efficiency, because the company is regulated and earns a fixed ROI.<p>It's an incredibly self-sustaining culture. If everyone believes you have to act like a maniac to demonstrate your import - and you have the gall not to spend all your energy pretending - it's reflected in both your reviews and particularly your upward mobility. Everyone in management has a vested interest in keeping up the charade, and you certainly don't want your peers and their department's laid-back productivity call that into question.