[mmierz]

My family leaves me alone when I'm on a call, but feels free to interrupt if I'm quietly working. Sometimes, I enjoy the company, so I don't want to tell them to never do this, but I also sometimes need focus time. The sounds of a call provide an audible signal that This Is Don't Interrupt Dad Time.

In other words, for at least some people, it's not pretending to work so they can slack off, it's pretending to be in a meeting so they can actually work.

I imagine that in-office workers with disruptive coworkers might want to do something similar.

[jorisboris]

Yes, resonates! I don’t get focus time at home, most probably because I don’t define my own boundaries well enough towards my spouse and kids. Calls are a clear boundary for them. I work in a coworking now to avoid solving the boundaries problem.