Final answer:
The employee perceives the managers as her internal customers, influencing her to 'look busy' for potential rewards and professional advantages.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term that describes the employee's perception of the managers, in this case, would be that the employee sees the managers as her primary internal customers. The provision of theater tickets by the manager was a reward for hard work and has led the employee to perform in a way that always shows her in a busy state, especially when management is around. The employee's behavior suggests that she might perceive her managers as looking for performance indicators such as busyness rather than actual output or quality of work. Consequently, the employee aligns her behavior with what she believes will garner positive attention and possibly more rewards, establishing a pattern that equates visible activity with recognition.
Furthermore, this scenario underlines the importance of a healthy manager-employee relationship and how it can influence an employee's work habits and job satisfaction. Managers are seen as key figures in an employee's career, with their ability to provide opportunities for development and influence perceptions of an employee's performance. An employee might thus act to specifically satisfy what they perceive to be a manager's expectations, in order to receive favorable outcomes such as raises and career advancement opportunities.