This Remote Worker Found The Ultimate Way To Take A Nap While On The Job And Not Get Fired For Not Working
If you've worked as a remote employee, then you might want to take advantage of this hack.
A TikTok about “working” from home turned into a full-on debate, and it all started when one remote worker’s girlfriend posted a video of him catching Z’s on the job. Not the cute, weekend nap kind of sleeping, the actual “boss is watching your screen” kind.
In the clip, she shows him lying back while he swears he has a system. The trick is an alarm that tells him when to jiggle the mouse, so it looks like he’s active. And apparently, he’s not the first person to try this, because mouse jiggler devices and even software that simulates movement are already out there.
Then the comments hit, and suddenly you realize this hack might be the most honest thing remote work has ever produced.
The guy's girlfriend is actually the one who posted the video on her TikTok, showing her boyfriend sleeping on the job.
@poquitamaestritaI think many of us are grateful she shared the hack instead of keeping it to herself.
You can see her in the video showing her boyfriend lying down and explaining that he uses an alarm to remind him when to jiggle the mouse so that his boss thinks he is actually working.
@poquitamaestritaIt turns out he's not the first to think of this; there are actually devices designed to help with this.
There's even a device called a mouse jiggler that moves your mouse every few minutes to simulate activity.
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There has been a significant increase in remote work, and this hack might just contribute to its growth.
Some people have mentioned that they use software that can do this for them, along with other gadgets that help move the mouse even when they're not present.
Remote work has become very popular, and we don't see it going away anytime soon. “The pandemic has started a revolution in how we work, and our research shows that working from home can make firms more productive and employees happier,” Nicholas Bloom, an economist at Stanford University, wrote in a paper.
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This is when the comments started rolling in, and people shared their own methods for managing remote work.
Jess
Some individuals pointed out that this is precisely why some companies are hesitant to adopt remote work.
Ben
It seems that over the last couple of years, people have been trying various methods to appear online even when they're not.
cameron blaircroft
Here is the original TikTok video where she shows him lying down and the mouse at the computer.
That’s when the girlfriend’s TikTok stops being a joke and starts looking like a real “how to survive” playbook for anyone staring at a blank screen all day.
Speaking of “don’t touch my stuff,” it’s like the office snack cabinet theft fight, where an employee locks it up and gets called selfish.
Right after she shows him on the couch with the mouse in reach, people start chiming in with their own ways to keep the activity meter from dropping.
Then the conversation turns spicy, because commenters point out this is exactly why some companies are nervous about letting people work from home in the first place.
By the time viewers mention alarms, mouse jigglers, and software that moves the cursor when nobody’s there, it feels like remote work has quietly become a game of convincing the laptop you’re awake.
This was truly an impressive TikTok that revealed how remote workers operate on a whole new level compared to the rest of us. I was definitely surprised to see all the different hacks people shared in the comments of the video as well.
Have you ever tried a hack like this before?
He might be saving sleep for himself, but he’s also making the whole “remote productivity” thing harder to trust.
Want another “simple hack” story, like the snack cabinet lockout drama? Check out Practical Fixes That Make Ordinary Situations Easier To Handle.