Workers took computer breaks by web surfing, online shopping, and playing Solitaire. As long as we didn't engage in these activities too long or too often--there weren't specific numerical criteria--our employer didn't mind. The protocols didn't have to be spelled out, and for the most part it just took a passing manager's raised eyebrow to show where the line was.
The phenomenon of working from home has resulted in the formalization of employee monitoring. Also, technological advances have accelerated the "arms race" between employees who devise new ways to goof off and employers who measure productivity. [bold added]
It’s getting harder to outsmart the digital minders at work.Here's an ad for a mouse jiggler, a device that didn't exist back in my day.
The rise of remote work and, in turn, employee-monitoring software sparked a boom in mouse and keyboard jigglers and other hacks to help staffers fake computer activity—often so they can step away to do laundry or a school pickup.
Now some companies are cracking down on the subterfuge, deploying tools that can better spot the phony busywork.
The latest salvo in this productivity-tracking arms race came in a recent regulatory filing from Wells Fargo. In the disclosure, first reported on by Bloomberg News, the bank said it had fired more than a dozen employees in its wealth and investment management unit for allegedly simulating keyboard activity to create the “impression of active work.”
Why have I never seen this before 😱
— Bargain Hunters and Discount Codes (@bargainhdc) March 4, 2024
Make it look like you are available when you are away from your computer with this mouse jiggler 👀
Check it out here ➡️ https://t.co/H8RgWddnu0
# ad pic.twitter.com/bfowptdZfk
No comments:
Post a Comment