While in the strip Wally is probably just saying all that to get th PHP out his case, but there is a sad reality showing up here: Lots of companies they think they shoudlnt pay for the time spent THINKING , they want to see you tapping or look busy even if youre not actually doing something useful.
During most of my career I was designing embedded computers and writing programs. After I retired 16 years ago, another employee told me that one of my PHBs had been really scared about me because he had no idea of what it was I was doing. I see him regularly at Wednesday lunches of retirees of that firm and the subject has never come up. I believe he would be embarrassed to admit that fear.
Now that I think about it, it is amazing that people who were strongly disliked become friends after retirement.