Remote work at its finest.
‘This is why they want us back in the office’: Remote worker sleeps during the workday, sets alarms to jiggle the mouse, and appears active on Teams.
The article discusses a viral video on TikTok and Snapchat, showing a person sleeping while working remotely and using alarms to jiggle the mouse and appear active on Microsoft Teams. The video has sparked a discussion around workarounds to appear online when one isn’t working, with users suggesting alternative methods, such as using a cheap analog watch or a USB-powered mouse juggler to keep the mouse moving. This is to overcome the feature in Microsoft Teams that shows when a worker is inactive.
Many users commented that these workarounds are one of the reasons some companies are pushing employees to return to the physical workplace. They argue that this is because companies want to keep track of the online presence of their employees instead of focusing on the work output. However, other users noted that their workday was more productive at home and that workarounds exist simply because employers track time online, not actual work done.
The video highlights the challenges of remote work and the need for employers to trust their employees and focus on work output rather than tracking their online presence. The use of software like Microsoft Teams for remote work has led to concerns about privacy and the blurring of lines between personal and professional time. Some users envy the video for having a job that allows this behavior to continue.
The article is “‘This is why they want us back in the office’: Remote worker sleeps during the workday, sets alarms to jiggle mouse and appear active on Teams.”