Wells Fargo Employees Suing Over Mouse Jiggler Firings

In a twist that even a contortionist would envy, several Wells Fargo employees, recently fired for using “mouse jigglers” to fake productivity, are now suing the bank. Their claim? They genuinely believed they would be rewarded for their innovative approach to shirking work, given the bank’s colorful history of incentivizing less-than-ethical behavior.

It seems the employees thought they were following in the esteemed footsteps of their predecessors, who were lauded (at least until they were caught) for creating millions of fake accounts to boost sales targets. Who could blame them for thinking a little mouse jiggling would be seen as dedication rather than deception? And just maybe, the deception was a result of Wells Fargo creating such a boring work environment that rivals MetLife.

The irony here is richer than Wells Fargo’s profit margins. The bank that once had no trouble squeezing fraudulent productivity out of its employees is now grappling with the challenge of motivating them to engage in honest work. After all, if you set a precedent that shady practices are the key to career advancement, you can’t be too surprised when your workforce takes that lesson to heart.

In their defense, these employees might have thought they were embodying the innovative spirit Wells Fargo is known for—albeit in a slightly different (and much less legal) context. The bank, which paid a hefty $185 million fine for its past indiscretions, now finds itself in the awkward position of disciplining employees for practices that seem tame by comparison.

So, here’s to Wells Fargo, the financial institution that taught us all that productivity can be measured not by the integrity of your work, but by the creativity of your deceit. And here’s to the employees who learned that lesson all too well, only to find out that when it comes to honest work, Wells Fargo is still trying to figure it out.