As the world has shifted to an online mode, employees have become more vulnerable to being assessed every second as employers are continuously keeping track of their job activities. On that count, surveillance software, also known as “tattle ware,” has usually been installed on the company’s devices so that they can track the employee’s productivity records along with their screen time as well. However, in order to counter these threats, employees are also implementing some ditch tricks to meet the firsts. Hence, a device known as a “mouse jiggler” comes to the rescue.
Fanciful notions aside, the computer cannot detect this device, which also eliminates the risk of it being discoverable by employers. The primary task of this device is to make your cursor move constantly, thus preventing your system from going into sleep mode. In this way, the employees can easily manipulate the surveillance software and trick it by being continuously active. Here, you should not confuse the mouse jiggler with the number of clicks from the keyboard. Instead, it helps you keep your computer’s display on, thereby playing with the screen time. Not bad, right?
This Vaydeer mouse jiggler is available on Amazon for $30 and takes less than a minute to integrate with your system. Simply attach the power cable to the USB port on your computer to make it connected. However, to turn the jiggler on, press an orange button on its left side. Thus, as soon as you press the button, the cursor moves slowly on your screen and prevents the system from turning into sleep mode. Employees can reap a lot of benefits from this super cool device as they can put it on and, meanwhile, make lunch, do exercise, and even go for a small walk.
However, it’s true that this trick is not good for your productivity because, at the end of the day, you have to be answerable if you miss something at work. This is because by turning this device on, you can easily get distracted, which will eventually put you in a difficult situation. Thus, it is always best to not use these types of gadgets, because, as we know, honesty is the best policy. On the other hand, in the case of any emergency, you can definitely use it for good reasons and can, later on, explain it to your employer.
To that end, it has been reported by The New York Times that around 80 percent of the employees of the 10 largest U.S. private companies track their employees’ productivity metrics through surveillance softwares. Considering this, a study conducted by the Harvard Business Review stated that such practices by employers compel employees to break the work rules and take shortcuts.