- Wells Fargo has taken action against employees found to be faking keyboard activity
- So-called ‘mouse jiggling’ apps are common and cost very little
- Bank has operated a hybrid working model since 2022
US banking giant Wells Fargo has sacked a number of staff after it was claimed they were using technology to fake keyboard activity to make it look like they were working when they weren’t.
Simulation of activity
Wells Fargo said the staff had been sacked, or had resigned, “after review of allegations involving simulation of keyboard activity creating impression of active work,” according to the BBC.
The bank has operated a hybrid working model – where staff can work in places other than the office for some of the time – since 2022. It hasn’t been confirmed if those fired were home workers or not.
A Bloomberg report said that more than 12 employees of Wells Fargo had been affected by this move, according to a Wells Fargo filing to the US Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.
Technology battle
While it hasn’t been disclosed how the allegations came to light, to keep tabs on employees working remotely, some large companies employ technology that can monitor keystrokes or eye movements or take screenshots to keep an eye on those who are not in the office.
But in response, technology has been developed – devices and software – that can prevent a computer going into sleep mode due to inactivity. These work by simulating small movements of a mouse cursor at regular intervals, which stop the computer from entering sleep mode. These are widely available and can cost as little as a few dollars.
There are plenty of legitimate reasons for using this technology – such as when reading long documents that could mean the mouse isn’t being used, or taking bathroom breaks or taking a brief timeout to deal with childcare.
