- Wells Fargo has fired more than a dozen employees who used “mouse movers.”
- The WFH staff used the products to make it look like they worked
- Several companies in the city are eager to get employees back into the office
They flew off the shelves during lockdown when secretive staff found the perfect gadget to convince bosses they were busy working from home.
And now a top bank has fired more than a dozen employees for using “mouse movers” while away from their desks.
Bosses at US company Wells Fargo fired employees in its wealth and investment management department after claiming they were using devices that gave the “impression of active work”.
The products – dubbed ‘mouse jigglers’ – exploded in popularity during the pandemic as staff tried to escape the watchful eyes of bosses while seemingly working from home.
These contraptions allow users to leave their desk for hours without being noticed by their employer by moving their computer mouse autonomously.
Bosses at US company Wells Fargo have fired employees in its asset and investment management division after claims they used mouse gestures (file image)
The bank fired more than a dozen employees for using ‘mouse movers’ while away from their desks (File Image)
The products – dubbed ‘mouse jigglers’ – exploded in popularity during the pandemic (File image)
First used by gamers who didn’t want their sessions to time out, they took off when workers on social media sites like Reddit and TikTok swapped tips on where to buy them. Nowadays you can buy a mouse mover for less than £6 on Amazon.
The Wells Fargo layoffs, which came to light through disclosures filed with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and first reported by Bloomberg, did not clarify whether the laid-off employees were actively faking work from home or in the office.
But the saga will be a major blow to the bank, which has been on a mission to clean up its act after a scandal erupted in 2016 when staff were found to be opening fake customer accounts to meet sales quotas.
In a statement, a company spokesperson said, “Wells Fargo holds employees to the highest standards and does not tolerate unethical behavior.”
Other city firms here were eager to follow workers as they struggled to get them back to the office.
Law firm Hogan Lovells is monitoring card entries to see how often lawyers work from its London and Birmingham offices.
Meanwhile, Clifford Chance, Slaughter and May and ‘Big Four’ auditor EY have all admitted they oversaw the office. But the stakes for bad behavior are high.
In February, the husband of a BP executive admitted to insider trading after overhearing his wife discussing a major deal while she worked from home.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission alleged that Tyler Loudon made £1.4 million in illegal profits from wiretapping. His wife also lost her job due to the debacle in Houston, Texas.