Why would it be embarrassing to state "I currently have nothing to do right now, is there anything available I can help with." if you cannot figure out anything productive you could be doing on your own.
Are people's managers actually saying to them, "Yes, there is nothing you can do right now, just sit in your seat and do nothing until I come get you"? I've never had that experience, and is why I'm asking about it.
If you don’t enjoy your job, then it might be better to get done what is expected of you and enjoy the rest of the time you have to spend butt-in-chair doing something else, instead of intentionally piling more unenjoyable work on your platter. Especially if the manager isn’t technical: just don’t tell them you’re done and spend that time doing something else.
Of course it completely depends on your work situation and the relationship with your manager, as well as how socially acceptable it is in your organization. I think lots of the people doing it had slacked off in high school and college and gotten away with it.
Your relationship with your work and your time is probably much healthier, so I wouldn’t start screwing around during work hours now.
Hey, I thought it was obvious. "Yes, there is nothing you can do right now, just sit in your seat and do nothing until I come get you" is not something a manager want to say. That seems downright incompetent. So the idea is, don't put them in a position where they would have to say this.
I'm not saying it's always like this, but it happens.
Are people's managers actually saying to them, "Yes, there is nothing you can do right now, just sit in your seat and do nothing until I come get you"? I've never had that experience, and is why I'm asking about it.