A fidget can be useful for you and still be terrible for the room.
That’s basically the work problem.
Your attention isn’t the only attention in the meeting
Research on fidget devices is mixed partly because the object itself matters. One classroom study found poorer attention when young children with ADHD used fidget spinners. That study is here. A much smaller study found improved on-task behavior in three students using spinners. That one is here.
Neither study answers the office question directly. What they do make obvious is that a fidget device isn’t neutral. Sound, motion, novelty, and visual interest all become part of the environment.
For work, I prefer something quiet and easy to ignore
If I’m using something while somebody else is talking, I want it to be quiet, repetitive, one-handed, and usable without looking. That sounds less exciting because it’s supposed to be less exciting.
The whole point is for my hands to have something to do while my attention stays with the conversation, spreadsheet, reading, or call. If the fidget is winning the competition for attention, it isn’t doing the job I wanted it to do.
Professional doesn’t have to mean hidden
I don’t think adults should have to pretend they never move. I do think the object should make sense in the setting.
A ring, pen, badge, notebook, bottle, or desk object can fit into a workday without asking everyone around you to also experience your fidget. That’s different from saying the movement needs to be invisible.
This is why I keep coming back to adult fidgets that are built into things we’re already using. I started collecting examples here.