Why France Telecom employees are killing themselves

This could only happen in France. Let's hope that it doesn't start a world-wide trend.

This is a deeply disturbing article which defies those who downplay how a bully boss climate can destroy lives. We live in a global society which equates self worth with material worth. One cannot have material worth without income and that means having a job. Daily threats, intimidation and humiliation will lead the most mentally strong towards depression and sometimes suicide. I did not consider myself an alarmist when I wrote my book in June'09 "How organizations empower bully bosses: a criminal in the workplace" now on amazon.com. That book details the COSTS to organizations who keep bully bosses: the human health toll and the costs of lawsuits, absenteeism, and retraining and replacement costs related. Most organizations in the United States are in denial refusing to accept responsibility for the damages caused by these criminals. But I implore workers to unite and refuse to accept this treatment by reading my book
You can see how other workers have dealt successfully with their bully workplace culture. Http://DoRightAtWork.com

NO. This is not a France-only problem. I work for an internationally owned company in the US office. I have been there 8 years and the previous 7 were happy, high ratings, raises, bonuses and it was all good. Then, someone somewhere decided we were doing to focus on performance based evaluations and reviews. OK, I am all for accountability. This is not what is happening though.

The project is headed up and run by someone with a masters degree in business psychology and I personally believe with the OCD/Germa-phobe behavior that touches (LOL) all of us who work there. This person has too many if their own issues and too little experience to pull this off. In the last year I have watched 14 people be fired or forced to quit or retire. Then the hypocrites actually give them a retirement party right after trying to fire them. They move your job around so often you can't learn what you're to be doing, it's not written down to follow and they have it set up that certain things need approval from the manager before you can complete it, she doesn't give it and it then counts against you if it isn't done. 80% of what's left of our department is on a "Performance Action Plan" which is supposed to not be a verbal or a written, but a plan of action to help you achieve the desired results. But there is not coaching or training, just a way to prevent you from taking advantage of perks previously offered to all of us and the second to final step of forcing you out.

I have a concern with what I see to be a large conflict of interest. This manager also teaches at a satellite branch of a local university, and little by little she is bringing in her students to fill the vacancies she is creating. I don't see how the company allows such a possible legal issue to continue.

This company keeps repeating two of their goals are to be employer of the century and retailer of the century. If this is how it is going to be run, with all the expert and experience being forced out, I see service suffering and I don't see them achieving these lofty goals. I wouldn't recommend any of my friends to a job where they watch every little thing you do and hover over you like vultures waiting for that final mistake, that last nail in your coffin.

I know the stress has made me ill. They forced me into full medical leave after I missed 3 days in a row on Intermittent FMLA. I now am out of FMLA hours and my job is NOT protected anymore...8 years of service which feels like it's been "flushed" away. It really makes me sad to lose that great company I used to work in.

I know there was one lawsuit and hear "class action" being thrown around. When will they learn? Our windows don't open so we can't even jump...

Hi Mildrade, Thanks. First time I got to know the facts behind the suicides in France Telecom. I would like to add here, it is correct that once FT had the status of government company, is now privatised (mostly) and trying also hard to compete with other International telecom companies, is not able to look or say manage the very numbers of employees.

I am from India and I see the same may happen when BSNL (Indian telco) will be privatized having more than 1,00,000 employees and facing huge issues in managing the company right now (when other private companies are showing huge profit BSNL is JUST able to manage to show the mini-profit).