Wells Fargo, a big bank in the US, fired some workers. These workers pretended to be busy on their computers when they were not. They used special tools to make it look like they were working. The bank found out and let them go. This happened because of remote work.

Many people work from home now, especially after Covid-19. Companies use tools to check if workers are really working. Some workers use gadgets to trick these tools. Wells Fargo found out and fired the workers who did this. More than a dozen people lost their jobs.

Working from home is still popular, but not as much as before. Last month, about 27% of workdays were from home. During the pandemic, it was over 60%. Many companies want workers back in the office. Wells Fargo lets workers do both, work from home and the office.

Original news source: Mouse jigglers’ pretending to work fired by bank (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a set of cards with different actions related to the article (e.g. pretending to type on a computer, using special tools, getting fired). One student from each group picks a card and acts out the action without speaking. The rest of the group tries to guess what action is being acted out.

– News Summary
Instructions: Ask the students to read the article individually or in pairs. After they have read it, have them summarize the main points of the article in their own words. Then, have a class discussion where students share their summaries and compare them.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Write the following question on the board: “Do you think working from home is better or worse than working in the office? Why?” Divide the class into pairs or small groups and ask them to discuss the question and share their opinions. After a few minutes, ask each group to share their opinions with the rest of the class.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Select key vocabulary words from the article (e.g. fired, remote work, gadgets) and write them on separate pieces of paper. Divide the class into teams. One student from each team picks a word and has to draw it on the board without using any letters or numbers. The rest of the team tries to guess the word. The team that guesses correctly gets a point.

– Two Truths and a Lie
Instructions: Have each student come up with two true statements and one false statement related to the article. They should not reveal which statement is false. In pairs or small groups, students take turns sharing their statements and the others have to guess which one is the lie. This activity encourages speaking and listening skills, as well as comprehension of the article.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What did Wells Fargo do to some workers who were pretending to work?
2. How did the workers pretend to be busy on their computers?
3. Why did the bank find out and let the workers go?
4. Why do many people work from home now?
5. How do companies check if workers are really working from home?
6. What happened to the workers who used gadgets to trick the tools?
7. Is working from home as popular as before?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Wells (1)______, a big bank in the US, fired some workers. These workers pretended to be busy on their computers when they were not. They used (2)______ tools to make it look like they were working. The bank found out and let them go. This happened because of remote work.

Many (3)______ work from home now, especially after Covid-19. Companies use tools to check if (4)______ are really working. Some workers use gadgets to trick these tools. Wells Fargo found out and (5)______ the workers who did this. More than a (6)______ people lost their jobs.

Working from home is still popular, but not as much as before. Last month, about 27% of (7)______days were from home. During the pandemic, it was over 60%. (8)______ companies want workers back in the office. Wells Fargo lets workers do both, work from home and the office.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is a bank?
2. How would you feel if you were fired from your job?
3. Do you like working from home or going to the office better? Why?
4. What tools do companies use to check if workers are really working?
5. Do you think it’s fair for companies to fire workers who pretend to be busy? Why or why not?
6. How do you think the workers felt when they found out they were fired?
7. What is a pandemic?
8. Do you know anyone who works from home? What do they do?
9. How would you feel if you had to go back to the office after working from home for a long time?
10. Do you think it’s important for companies to let workers do both, work from home and the office? Why or why not?
11. What gadgets do some workers use to trick the tools that check if they’re working?
12. Have you ever pretended to be busy when you weren’t? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. pretended
2. remote
3. gadgets
4. pandemic
5. dozen
6. popular
7. companies
8. office
9. fired
10. tools

Meanings:
(A) Acted like something was true when it wasn’t
(B) Liked by many people
(C) A place where people work at desks
(D) Small machines or devices
(E) Lost their job
(F) Twelve of something
(G) Far away
(H) Things you use to do work
(I) A time when a disease spreads everywhere
(J) Big groups that sell things or services
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why did Wells Fargo fire some workers?
(a) They were too busy on their computers.
(b) They pretended to work when they were not.
(c) They used special tools to work.
(d) They worked from home.

2. How did the workers trick the tools that checked if they were working?
(a) They worked really hard.
(b) They went to the office.
(c) They used gadgets.
(d) They didn’t trick the tools.

3. How many people lost their jobs at Wells Fargo?
(a) Only a few.
(b) None.
(c) More than a hundred.
(d) More than a dozen.

4. Is working from home still popular?
(a) Yes, but not as much as before.
(b) No, not at all.
(c) Yes, even more than before.
(d) Yes, exactly the same as before.

5. How many workdays last month were from home?
(a) About 60%.
(b) About 100%.
(c) About 10%.
(d) About 27%.

6. What do many companies want workers to do?
(a) Come back to the office.
(b) Work from home forever.
(c) Use special tools.
(d) Trick the gadgets.

7. Can Wells Fargo workers work from home and the office?
(a) No, they can only work from home.
(b) No, they can only work in the office.
(c) Yes, they can do both.
(d) No, they can’t work at all.

8. What kind of bank is Wells Fargo?
(a) A small bank in the US.
(b) A big bank in the US.
(c) A big bank in France.
(d) A small bank in France.

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. These workers used special tools to make it look like they were busy on their computers.
2. This happened because of remote work, which means working from home.
3. Many people work from home now, especially before Covid-19.
4. Wells Fargo requires its workers to choose whether they want to work from home or the office.
5. Companies do not use tools to check if workers are really working.
6. The bank found out about their trick and let them go.
7. Some workers at Wells Fargo were fired because they pretended to be working when they weren’t.
8. Some workers use gadgets to comply with these tools.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What did some workers at Wells Fargo pretend to do on their computers?
2. How did the bank find out that the workers were not really working?
3. Why did Wells Fargo fire the workers who were pretending to work?
4. Why do many people work from home now?
5. What percentage of workdays were from home last month?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What did Wells Fargo do to some workers who were pretending to work?
Wells Fargo fired the workers who were pretending to work.

2. How did the workers pretend to be busy on their computers?
The workers used special tools to make it look like they were working on their computers.

3. Why did the bank find out and let the workers go?
The bank found out because they used tools to check if workers were really working, and they discovered the workers were pretending.

4. Why do many people work from home now?
Many people work from home now, especially after Covid-19, because it is safer and more convenient.

5. How do companies check if workers are really working from home?
Companies use tools to check if workers are really working from home.

6. What happened to the workers who used gadgets to trick the tools?
The workers who used gadgets to trick the tools were fired from their jobs.

7. Is working from home as popular as before?
No, working from home is not as popular as before. Last month, only 27% of workdays were from home, compared to over 60% during the pandemic.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) Fargo
(2) special
(3) people
(4) workers
(5) fired
(6) dozen
(7) work
(8) Many
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. pretended
Answer: (A) Acted like something was true when it wasn’t

2. remote
Answer: (G) Far away

3. gadgets
Answer: (D) Small machines or devices

4. pandemic
Answer: (I) A time when a disease spreads everywhere

5. dozen
Answer: (F) Twelve of something

6. popular
Answer: (B) Liked by many people

7. companies
Answer: (J) Big groups that sell things or services

8. office
Answer: (C) A place where people work at desks

9. fired
Answer: (E) Lost their job

10. tools
Answer: (H) Things you use to do work
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why did Wells Fargo fire some workers?
Answer: (b) They pretended to work when they were not.

2. How did the workers trick the tools that checked if they were working?
Answer: (c) They used gadgets.

3. How many people lost their jobs at Wells Fargo?
Answer: (d) More than a dozen.

4. Is working from home still popular?
Answer: (a) Yes, but not as much as before.

5. How many workdays last month were from home?
Answer: (d) About 27%.

6. What do many companies want workers to do?
Answer: (a) Come back to the office.

7. Can Wells Fargo workers work from home and the office?
Answer: (c) Yes, they can do both.

8. What kind of bank is Wells Fargo?
Answer: (b) A big bank in the US.
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. These workers used special tools to make it look like they were busy on their computers. (Answer: True)
2. This happened because of remote work, which means working from home. (Answer: True)
3. Many people work from home now, especially before Covid-19. (Answer: False)
4. Wells Fargo requires its workers to choose whether they want to work from home or the office. (Answer: False)
5. Companies do not use tools to check if workers are really working. (Answer: False)
6. The bank found out about their trick and let them go. (Answer: True)
7. Some workers at Wells Fargo were fired because they pretended to be working when they weren’t. (Answer: True)
8. Some workers use gadgets to comply with these tools. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧