In today’s competitive workplace, recognition matters. Visibility can fuel promotions and opportunities, but there’s a fine line between healthy self-advocacy and unhealthy attention-seeking. That’s where corporate showoff culture comes in — a rising trend where employees overstate their value, brag about being busy, or send after-hours emails just to appear indispensable. While the intention may be survival in uncertain times, the effect is a culture that rewards performance theater over authentic contribution.
What Drives Corporate Showoff Culture?
Experts like Dr. Allison Vaillancourt explain that corporate showoff culture often emerges in industries facing layoffs or instability, such as tech or higher education. Employees adopt “look-at-me” behaviors — from late-night meetings to exaggerated workload updates — to secure their positions. Meanwhile, therapists like Jaime Bronstein warn that the lines between reality and projection blur, both online and at work. The result? Colleagues compete for attention rather than building genuine connections, eroding trust and authenticity in the workplace.
Five Clear Signs of Corporate Showoff Culture
Vaillancourt highlights five behaviors that signal this culture taking root:
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Off-hours messaging – sending late-night emails or texts to prove devotion.
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Late-night meetings – scheduling after-hours calls to stay visible.
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Microphone hijacking – using meetings for long “vital updates” instead of problem-solving.
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Stress-bragging – boasting about being overloaded to seem valuable.
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Glory-grabbing – overstating contributions and minimizing collaborators.
These habits don’t just irritate coworkers — they undermine collaboration and well-being.
How Leaders Can Shift the Culture
The antidote to corporate showoff culture is clarity, boundaries, and recognition of real contributions. Leaders can model healthy habits by keeping communication within work hours, using dashboards and project tools to make real work visible, and asking employees to highlight collaborators. Encouraging well-being and giving regular feedback also reduces the insecurity that fuels showoff behavior. Above all, organizations should celebrate genuine achievements that lift others, not exaggerated gestures that cast shadows. When employees feel secure and valued, they don’t need to show off — their impact speaks for itself.
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