Wells Fargo fires several employees for faking work activity
Wells Fargo, the third-largest bank in the US, has reportedly terminated multiple employees for allegedly falsifying keyboard activity to appear productive. The bank revealed these dismissals in broker filings with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). While the exact number of affected employees remains undisclosed, Bloomberg, which first reported the firing, stated that over a dozen individuals were impacted. BBC has so far confirmed six cases of staff being fired following an investigation into these allegations.
Employees accused of using 'mouse jigglers'
The dismissed employees are accused of using 'mouse jigglers,' devices designed to mimic computer activity. These gadgets are readily available for under $10 on e-commerce platforms like Amazon. The bank's filings stated that staff had resigned voluntarily or been fired "after review of allegations involving simulation of keyboard activity creating impression of active work." Many of those dismissed had been with the company for less than five years.
Wells Fargo's response and broader context
In response to the incident, Wells Fargo's spokesperson Laurie Kight stated, "Wells Fargo holds employees to the highest standards and does not tolerate unethical behavior." The bank has not disclosed whether the dismissed employees were working remotely or in an office at the time of their alleged misconduct. This situation occurs against a backdrop of increased remote work and employee surveillance, with many large companies implementing more advanced tools to monitor online activities since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Remote work trends and statistics
The popularity of remote work has been declining since its peak in 2020 when over 60% of paid workdays in the US were remote. As of this April, about 13% of full-time employees in the US were fully remote, and another 26% had a hybrid arrangement, as per a research by professors at the Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico (ITAM) Business School, Stanford, and University of Chicago.
