make-workn.
/ˈmeɪkwəːk/, U.S. /ˈmeɪkˌwərk/ Originally U.S.
Work or activity of little or no value devised mainly to keep someone busy; = busywork n. Frequently attributive.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > doing > activity or occupation > [noun] > business claiming attention > an occupation or affair > devised to keep someone busy
busywork1893
make-work1911
1911 I. Fisher Elementary Princ. Econ. xxiv. 417 The make-work fallacy consists in confusing the benefits of working with the products of work.
1937 Polit. Q. 8 608 A nation-wide organization of relief work, including..genuine public works and a host of make-work projects of questionable merit.
1947 Yale Law Jrnl. Dec. 182 Community development subordinated to make-work and pump-priming.
1957 W. H. Whyte Organization Man 121 These jobs, while not mere make-work, are outside the regular cost-accounted operations of the company.
1972 Guardian 13 Sept. 12/1 Still the old make-work continues, the mailbags and the excessive cleaning, which..occupy almost a quarter of the prison population.
1986 ‘J. le Carré’ Perfect Spy v. 106 The committee..was a charade, it was a sham, it was makework.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2000; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
<
n.1911