Bank fires employees for pretending to work with fake keyboard activity: Here's what happened

Ever pretended to work just to avoid getting more tasks? Well, you better beware. While it might not seem like a big deal, this tactic has led to serious consequences for employees at a US bank, who are now facing termination for acting busy. Let's understand why this has become such a critical issue.

Representative image/ Masterfile

Wells Fargo, the third-largest bank in the United States, has fired or accepted resignations from more than a dozen employees. 

Also read: 'Take legal action': Fired over medical emergency, diabetic woman's shocking story sparks outrage 

They were accused of pretending to work by simulating keyboard activity while working remotely, specifically within the wealth and investment management unit.

Disclosures filed with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (Finra) indicate that these employees were terminated for "simulation of keyboard activity to create the appearance of active work."

Representative image

This practice, more common among remote workers, involved the use of devices and software known as "mouse movers" or "mouse jigglers" to mimic activity.

According to a spokesperson quoted by Reuters, Wells Fargo stated, "We maintain high standards for our employees and do not tolerate unethical behavior."

As large companies increasingly use advanced surveillance tools to monitor remote employees, including keystroke tracking, eye movement monitoring, screenshot capture, and website visit logging, a counter-technology market has emerged. Devices like "mouse jigglers" are widely available to simulate computer activity.

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This incident occurs as financial firms push to bring employees back to the office. Despite the enduring popularity of remote work post-pandemic, the trend is slowly declining worldwide.

Since March 2020, over half of the employees started working remotely to some extent due to the pandemic, as reported by Gallup. 

However, the transition to a permanent hybrid work setup has been slow, marked by occasional tensions as white-collar workers resisted executives' directives to return to the office.

In India, while remote work still persists, companies are now moving towards a hybrid model. This approach allows employees to work from home on certain days of the week and attend the office on others.

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