Woman Working From Home Sparks Debate By Using A 'Mouse Jiggler'

Kasia Mikolajczak
man sitting at a home desk
Unsplash | Jason Strull

Let me ask you something: Do you work from home? Is this new because of the pandemic, or have you always had the luxury of working from a home office?

Well, if you're new to this dynamic, you might have to put up with micromanaging. But I have good news for you. One TikToker has a great solution for faking your way of working on the computer, and you've got to see it.

If you work from home you're probably familiar with Microsoft Teams.

people sitting at a table looking at computer
Unsplash | Windows

Yeah, it's a great way for your boss to keep tabs on you. When you're away from your screen, you will go yellow on the screen in Teams indicating that you're not there. And of course, that's a no-no, right?

So how can you avoid that?

Woman in TikTok video
TikTok | @adriannarebekah

Well, according to this one TikTok user, Adrianna Ortiz, you can get yourself a device called a "mouse jiggler." The device jiggles your mouse to make it seem like you’re working when you’re not working. OMG, what?

Yes, that's right.

Woman whispering "OMG."
Giphy | The Office

And here's the best part. The device plugs into the wall discreetly so it cannot be tracked by your computer or your boss or your company. Holy moly! So this way, you will never go yellow in Teams again. Yay!

Not that I condone you lying about your work.

No, that's not the point of this. The TikTok user who posted about it said that it helps with micromanaging, and it lets you do the work you do in peace. That's all.

Well, as you can imagine her post went pretty viral.

TikTok comments
TikTok | @adriannarebekah

Lots of people started commenting about this device and what it does. And surprise, surprise, quite a few of them said they loved the idea. I mean, I've never been micromanaged before, but I can tell you right now that would annoy me to no end, ha, ha.

Some managers even chimed in.

TikTok comments
TikTok | @adriannarebekah

And they said that they do not micromanage their employees. Wow! That's great to hear, huh? I like to know that some managers and bosses let their employees have the freedom and do the work the way they want. Am I right?

Now, there were people who called this a dystopian future, ha, ha.

TikTok comment
TikTok | @adriannarebekah

Is that right, huh? I guess so. I mean, working from home is great and all but not if you're being constantly watched. I certainly wouldn't like that. As a pretty independent person, would like to believe that my work trusts me to get the job done.

Adrianna also got some nasty comments.

TikTok comments
TikTok | @adriannarebekah

Some people accused her of being dishonest and not working when she said she was. But she was quick to defend herself and said that she had managers that micromanaged her, and she wanted people to have some more freedom while working from home. She wasn't encouraging anybody to lie about working.

So what's your take on this trick?

person discovering they're on camera
Giphy | PipeWolf Media

Do you think it's necessary to stoop to doing stuff like this while working from home? Or do you think it's too much? Well, I really do hope that most people work for companies that give them the freedom of not being constantly watched, but the truth is that might not be the case for everyone.