US Wells Fargo Bank news:
Over a dozen employees at the US Wells Fargo bank were terminated for allegedly “simulating keyboard activity,” presumably to deceive their employer into thinking they were working. According to a filing with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the workers were “discharged after a review of allegations involving simulation of keyboard activity creating the impression of active work.” Bloomberg reported that the document does not specify whether the employees used personal or workplace computers.
Wells Fargo supports flexible work arrangements, allowing employees to “work from home on some days and at the office on others” for many corporate positions.
A company spokesperson stated, “Wells Fargo bank holds employees to the highest standards and does not tolerate unethical behavior.”
Mouse movers, also known as mouse jigglers, are devices or software that mimic computer mouse motion. These tools, available on Amazon, claim to be “undetectable.” They function by placing the mouse on a rotating platform or disc that mimics normal movement, while the software runs a program that moves the mouse, preventing computers from going into sleep mode.
WFH Research, which surveyed 20- to 64-year-olds, found that work-from-home days accounted for slightly more than a quarter of paid working days in the US last month, compared to 5% pre-Covid.
Major banks have taken a strong stance on working from home. Goldman Sachs encouraged employees to “work in the office five days a week,” while Bank of America threatened disciplinary action against staff members who did not show up for office work.
The Covid pandemic raised concerns about workplace surveillance and led to a global increase in work-from-home directives. In 2020, Microsoft apologized for using software that tracked individuals and calculated their “productivity score” based on the number of emails they wrote and meetings they attended.
