They weren't saying it isn't a bad behavior in general, but that in the absence of visibility into what staff is doing it is a necessity. It's far worse than having proper visibility, but until/unless you have that visibility, it's a lowest-effort way of getting some visibility.
Of course the right thing to do is to work to get proper visibility, and when you have that, then the "tap" is pointless interruption.
Managers who tap aren't interested in work visibility. That can be achieved via a simple email. Managers who tap are only interested in hearing themselves talk at others.
Of course the right thing to do is to work to get proper visibility, and when you have that, then the "tap" is pointless interruption.