Mouse Mover Scandal: How Remote Work Leads to Dishonest Employee Activity

During the pandemic, remote work has become increasingly popular among many companies. In order to show productivity while working from home, some employees have turned to “mouse movers” or “mouse jigglers” to imitate employee activity. However, a recent report by Bloomberg revealed that Wells Fargo & Co. fired more than a dozen employees for allegedly faking work using these tools.

The fired employees were part of Wells Fargo’s wealth- and investment-management unit and were discharged after allegations of simulating keyboard activity to create the impression of active work. The company spokesperson stated that Wells Fargo holds its employees to high standards and does not tolerate unethical behavior.

These gadgets can autonomously move the cursor or trigger keyboard entries without human intervention, allowing employees to appear active even when they are not. Social media sites like Reddit and TikTok have seen employees sharing tips for using these devices, which are also readily available on platforms like Amazon for affordable prices.

As remote work continues post-pandemic, companies are increasingly using monitoring software to ensure that employees are actually working while at their computers. These monitoring tools have become more sophisticated, able to detect patterns and activity levels to verify productivity. Wells Fargo has a history of investigating and firing employees for unethical behavior, having previously investigated violations of expense policies in its investment bank in 2018.