Work only simulated - US companies struggle with work-from-home fakers
Mouse movements, keyboard shortcuts, presentations - but the employee is not sitting at the computer, instead they are taking a nap or hanging up laundry. Companies in the USA are increasingly dealing with the phenomenon that employees in home offices are simulating productivity with creative technology solutions. Some even lost their jobs for it. The feigned diligence is, however, also the result of an increased control need of companies in times of mobile work.
Wells Fargo let go of several dozen employees in May. The charge: "Simulated keyboard activity, which gives the impression of active work." Wells Fargo does not tolerate unethical behavior, the bank declared.
Many possibilities for home office fraud
Internet shops and video platforms like Tiktok and YouTube are full of devices, software solutions, and tips on how to simulate activity on the computer or other equipment provided by the company. The goal is usually to prevent the computer from going into standby mode, activating the screensaver, or changing the status in conferences from "active" to "inactive."
For example, there is the "Mouse Jiggler": a small device where the mouse is placed. The computer mouse is then moved at regular intervals. Similarly popular: Opening a typing program on the computer and fixing a particular character - line by line, page by page, the screen fills up with "text" consisting of the same character. Additionally, there are software solutions that move the mouse or press keys at regular intervals.
Or there are long presentations that are started and then rewound. "Just press 'Slideshow Start' and everything is good," says the influencer Sho Dewan in a Tiktok video. He was previously responsible for personnel recruitment himself and now shares his secrets.
Such videos sometimes have millions of views. A user wrote in the comments under the clip: "Why didn't I discover this sooner?" He himself had once glued a computer mouse to an operating ventilator.
Of course, the risk is high of getting caught. In a post on the Reddit network named "My boss caught me with a mouse mover," an employee told of his misfortune. He was furious when he was caught, after previously having apologized for "power outages" and "thunderstorms" during meetings and leaving silently without a word. Some users advised him to use a physical mouse mover instead, which is harder to detect.
USA: Companies tighten control of remote work
In essence, employers must face up to the fact that they have drastically increased their control of their employees according to several US studies in the context of home office and mobile work. For example, the demand for desktop monitoring software, keystroke logging software, and even GPS tracking of employees has increased significantly since the pandemic. According to information from the magazine "Harvard Business Review," a Florida company installed such software on the computers of its employees, which takes a screenshot every ten minutes.
The monitoring, according to human resources specialists in some companies, led to a real "productivity theater," where employees pretended to be productive. The cat-and-mouse game also raises the question of how meaningful the monitoring of mouse and keyboard is to measure productivity and effectiveness of employees.
Moreover, things can also go wrong in reverse: According to a survey by the magazine "Harvard Business Review," monitored employees tend to take unauthorized breaks and disregard instructions more frequently. In addition, they damaged company property more often, stole office supplies, and worked deliberately slowly, according to the report.
A.J. Mizes, CEO of the consulting firm Human Reach, lamented the result of a culture that is more quantitative than "human relationships and true productivity." The trend towards excessive monitoring in the US economy is alarming, he said. "Instead of fostering innovation and trust, it will only make employees find more ways to be occupied."
- Despite the availability of software and devices to simulate productivity, Wells Fargo strict policies led to the termination of several employees in May for engaging in "Simulated keyboard activity" to give the impression of active work.
- With the rise of home offices, many employees in the USA are relying on tools such as the "Mouse Jiggler" or software solutions to simulate activity on their computers, aiming to prevent the computer from going into standby mode or changing the status in conferences.
- In response to the increased control from employers during remote work, companies like Wells Fargo are tightening their monitoring systems, installing desktop monitoring software and keystroke logging software on their employees' computers, triggering a productive but unhealthy 'cat-and-mouse game' between the employers and their remote workers.
