Banking giant Wells Fargo fires employees for making fake mouse and keyboard gestures to claim they were at work
Banking giant Wells Fargo has fired more than a dozen employees in recent weeks after allegations of deceptive remote and hybrid work practices.
Disclosures filed with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) revealed that the employees had simulated keyboard and mouse activity to create the illusion of active work.
The laid-off employees, part of the company’s wealth and investment management division, reportedly used devices known as “mouse jigglers” to keep their computers active by simulating the cursor movement on the screen while they were not actually working goods.
Wells Fargo fires ‘mouse jiggler’ users
The tools, available online through sites like Amazon for as little as $5-10, are designed to prevent computers from going into sleep mode.
While it is clear that the company took appropriate action against deceptive employees, it is unclear how Wells Fargo discovered employees were using such devices, raising questions about employee surveillance.
Laurie Knight, a spokesperson for Wells Fargo, said: โWells Fargo holds employees to the highest standards and does not tolerate unethical behavior.โ
The website has been using advanced monitoring tools since the expansion of remote working during the height of the pandemic. The company reportedly uses tools that can track keystrokes and eye movements, take screenshots, and log website visits (via the BBC).
The BBC confirmed six cases of staff dismissal and one case of voluntary dismissal related to this issue. Most of the affected employees had been with the company for less than five years, meaning they were likely pandemic recruits.
After forced remote work, Wells Fargo now expects most employees to return to the office at least three days a week, which is similar to many other large companies.
The company declined to comment further.