I have worked for a couple of different sized companies ranging from very small 5 person startups to what was at the time the largest company in the world, including a few somewhere in the middle. I'm at my second large corporation gig and each has lasted for longer than 5 years. So when it comes to corporate bullshit I have a masters degree.

The thing is though, there is bullshit everywhere. Straight away I can hear people say "Oh no, I escaped man, I'm my own boss, I gave up all that crap and I live free and swim with the dolphins in paradise". BULLSHIT. There are different types of bullshit in different types of jobs and companies but rest assured they all stink.

But guess what, I LOVE my job, had a great mid-year review, recently been promoted, getting to work on interesting projects. You can let the bullshit get to you and allow it to sour things completely or you can accept how things are and try to make the system work for you.

Now if you were in a Manager position a level above your boss, someone who has no direct relationship with you other than saying "hello" in the hallway, and you saw someone spending a significant amount of time reading a website. Would you expect them to have a positive opinion of you? I'm not defending the opinion that everyone needs to be busy all the time but the reality of the situation is that this is how Managers think and unless you can change the world its something that you will have to tackle or suffer the consequences.