American Bank thus discovers the ploy to falsify remote productivity used by some of its employees
Wells Fargo & Coone of the four largest banks in the United States, hfired more than a dozen employees accused of having simulated the work activity using devices called “Mouse Jiggler“. These tools allow you to imitate the movement of the mouse and keyboard, making the employee appear as if he is working when in reality he is away.
While it was not specified whether the furloughed employees were working from home or in the office, the news comes at a time when many companies are adopting hybrid work models that combine in-office presence with remote working. The use of “Mouse Jiggler” has become widespread during the Covid-19 pandemic, when most workers were forced to work from home. Several productivity apps, such as Gmail, Outlook, and Teams, show a user’s status as “away” if there is no interaction with the computer for a certain period of time.
The dismissals came after internal investigations found misconduct by some employees in the bank’s asset management and investment department. As reported by Bloomberg, the dismissal measure filed with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) mentions the “simulation of keyboard activity that created the impression of active work” as the reason for dismissal. A Wells Fargo spokesperson said the bank “holds employees to the highest standards and does not tolerate unethical behavior”. The story has sparked debate on the topic of remote productivity and the challenges of monitoring remote work.
The news was reported by several newspapers, including Financial Times, Avvenire and Today, and caused quite a stir on social media, with many users expressing mixed opinions about the incident. There are those who argue that the dismissal was justified, given the seriousness of the misconduct, while others underline the difficulties of working from home and the need to find a balance between work flexibility and productivity control.
