💻 Axios PM: Fired for faking

🦧 Plus: Denver's best dad | Friday, June 14, 2024

Open in app View in browser   Presented By BlackRock   Axios PM By Mike Allen · Jun 14, 2024 👨‍👧Happy Father's Day weekend. Today's edition, edited by Dave Lawler, is 713 words, a 2.5-min. read. Thanks to Sheryl Miller for the copy edit.     👁 1 big thing: Workplace surveillance dilemma Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios   Wells Fargo's decision to fire more than a dozen employees for "simulation of keyboard activity" points to a simmering tension in the post-pandemic workplace, Axios' Dave Lawler writes. Why it matters: Major employers are using surveillance tools to ensure that no matter where people work, they're at their computers — but polls suggest doing so is risky for morale. Driving the news: Wells Fargo didn't say whether the employees — from the company's wealth- and investment-management unit — were working remotely, or how they were faking the "impression of active work," Bloomberg reports. A Wells Fargo spokesperson told Axios the bank "holds employees to the highest standards and does not tolerate unethical behavior" and declined to comment further. Between the lines: The prevalence of cheap tools like "mouse jigglers" to simulate activity suggests some of America's white-collar workers are skating by in the hybrid world — though the rise of remote work doesn't seem to have hurt productivity overall. But the use of surveillance tools poses a risk at a time when it's getting harder and harder to keep workers happy, Axios' Javier E. David notes. A 2023 Pew poll found that most workers would oppose their employers using AI to track where they go, when they're at their desks or what they're doing on their computers. In another poll, from Forbes, 43% of workers said their employers monitored their online activity. 59% felt such monitoring raised ethical concerns, and 43% thought it was bad for morale. What to watch: Anxiety about losing your job to ChatGPT will only exacerbate the rift between workers and bosses that's been created by workplace surveillance and return-to-office policies, Axios' Megan Morrone writes.     🌡 2. Brace for extreme heat Model projections showing the near-record intensity of the heat dome affecting the Eastern U.S. midweek next week. Image: Weatherbell.com A June heat wave for the record books is set to send temperatures soaring from the Midwest to the mid-Atlantic and Northeast beginning Sunday. It'll continue into the coming weeks, Axios' Andrew Freedman writes. Why it matters: This is the first heat wave of the summer for millions of Americans, and its extended duration heightens the public health threat. 🥵 Threat level: By next Friday, more than 260 million people in the U.S. are forecast to see air temperatures reach or exceed 90°F, with many experiencing heat indices at or above 100°F. Affected big cities include Chicago, Washington, D.C., New York City, and Boston. Even northern Maine is likely to see temperatures soar into the upper 90s. NWS forecast high temperatures on June 19, showing highs in the 90s to low 100s°F across the Central U.S., Midwest, Ohio Valley, mid-Atlantic and New England. Image: NWS via Pivotal Weather Keep reading.     A message from BlackRock How BlackRock invests in the future of teachers     BlackRock helps manage the retirement plan assets for roughly half of public school teachers in the U.S. An example: BlackRock helps Brian, a high school teacher in Pennsylvania, achieve financial well-being so that he can focus on what matters most — his students. Watch his story.     3. Catch me up Photo: Giorgio Viera/AFP via Getty Above: People watch today as crews begin to demolish the building where 17 people were killed during the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. ❌ The Supreme Court overturned a Trump-era ban on bump stock gun attachments, which allow shooters to fire nearly at the rate of a machine gun. Go deeper: What makes bump stocks so deadly 🖊 The ghostwriter of President Biden's memoir told federal investigators he deleted many recordings of his conversations with Biden after a special counsel was appointed to investigate the president, Axios' Stephen Neukam and Alex Thompson report. 🇨🇳 The U.S. military oversaw a campaign during the pandemic to spread doubts abroad about the safety and efficacy of Chinese vaccines, Reuters scoops. The effort appeared intended to counter Chinese influence in countries like the Philippines. 💵 Far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' assets will be liquidated to help repay the $1.5 billion he owes to the families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims, a Texas bankruptcy judge ruled on Friday. Go deeper.     🦧 4. Denver's best dad Berani loves to hand-feed Cerah. Photo: Denver Zoo When Nias, a Sumatran orangutan at the Denver Zoo, died suddenly in her sleep from heart complications in 2020, her mate Berani swung into action to care for their then 2-year-old, Cerah, Axios Denver's Alayna Alvarez writes. Why it matters: The 31-year-old "Mr. Mom" has taken on a role unheard of for his critically endangered species. In the wild, raising offspring is the full responsibility of females. ❤️ What they're saying: "This doesn't happen," Denver zookeeper Cindy Cossaboon, who's worked with Sumatran orangutans for 25 years, tells Axios. "To have this male being the sole caregiver of this young female orangutan is just amazing." Photo: Denver Zoo Happy Father's Day to Berani and all the other dads out there.     A message from BlackRock The 5 forces shaping U.S. retirement     More than half the assets BlackRock manages are for retirement, helping around 35 million Americans invest for life after work. What you need to know: KC Boas, BlackRock's Head of Retirement Thought Leadership, highlights five trends in retirement. Learn more.   Are you a fan of this email format? Your essential communications — to staff, clients and other stakeholders — can have the same style. Axios HQ, a powerful platform, will help you do it.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Advertise with us. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. 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