busywork

They’re printers, fax machines, and scanners that create an all-in-one digital hub for office busywork.
The best copy machine for home and office|Irena Collaku|August 25, 2021|Popular-Science
Upon her return, she was met with busywork from school, but nothing palpable outside an occasional Zoom call or Google meet-up.
Prom, after a senior year interrupted|Melinda Fakuade|July 23, 2021|Vox
She said that being explicit about mental health was policy busywork and a paperwork nightmare.
Taking a mental health day is legit. Just ask the kids.|Petula Dvorak|June 3, 2021|Washington Post
This may seem like a good idea in theory, but in practice they amount to glorified extra-credit projects and pointless busywork.
Rand Paul and the Certification Racket|Russell Saunders|August 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Sadly, its most notable achievement is to add layers of red tape and busywork to our already bureaucracy-heavy prison system.
America’s Prison System: Not Faring Well Either|James Poulos|April 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But repeated tests create a uniform sort of busywork, which can turn quickly into malaise.
How Space Agencies Are Preparing for a Mission to Mars|Josh Dzieza|February 12, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Other Idioms and Phrases with busywork

busy work

Activity meant to take up time but not actually be productive. For example, We have to put in an eight-hour day, even if we do nothing but busy work. [c. 1840]