Wells Fargo employees have raised concerns following the unnoticed death of their colleague, Denise Prudhomme, a corporate banking consultant, who died at her desk in a Tempe, Arizona office last month and remained undiscovered for four days.
The union is calling on Wells Fargo to address the working conditions and company culture that contributed to this incident. On Monday, a statement was issued to leadership nationwide, endorsed by over 200 members of Wells Fargo Workers United-CWA and other bank employees.
This incident coincides with a broader reassessment of workplace practices within the financial sector. The union highlighted the unique nature of their organization, describing it as the first of its kind at a major U.S. bank.
In their statement, the union expressed sorrow and anger over Prudhomme’s death and criticized the contradictions revealed by the incident. The statement pointed out the extensive monitoring of employees’ productivity through electronic means, contrasted with the fact that Prudhomme went unnoticed at her desk for days.
The employees are advocating for enhanced safety measures that are neither punitive nor stressful, a review of the return-to-office (RTO) policy, and a more significant voice in workplace decisions.
A Wells Fargo spokesperson expressed deep sadness over Prudhomme’s death, indicating that the company has reached out to her family for support. The spokesperson encouraged employees with concerns to provide continuous feedback to help strengthen the company.
Several employees recounted their experiences on the day Prudhomme was found. Denise, another Wells Fargo worker in Phoenix, described the management’s initial response as insufficient and recounted that a Teams meeting was organized to address the situation the following day. During this meeting, management confirmed the death but instructed employees to continue with their work.
Rikki, who also worked on the same floor as Prudhomme, corroborated this account, mentioning that management held an emergency meeting the day after the incident and instructed employees to resume normal activities. They also noted the lingering odor and subsequent illness from the chemicals used to clean up, which led to an announcement permitting remote work for the rest of the week.
Jose, another employee at the Tempe call center, was uneasy with how management handled the situation, feeling that Prudhomme’s death was downplayed because she was not part of their department. He mentioned that the odor was still present when he returned to the office a week later.
Wells Fargo stated that it needed to contact Prudhomme’s family before informing her colleagues and reaffirmed its commitment to employee safety and wellness.
The union has criticized the inflexibility of Wells Fargo’s RTO policy, which requires even pre-pandemic remote workers to return to offices, often leading to employees working in largely empty buildings. The union cited that team members and supervisors are frequently located in different states, creating logistical challenges and inefficiencies.
Rikki explained further that their team was not given options regarding their work location, necessitating a long commute despite there being closer office locations. Mike, based in Chandler, Arizona, described the Tempe office as largely empty, arguing that employees in low interaction roles should not need to be in the office.
The union also pointed out that Wells Fargo CEO Charles Scharf works remotely from New York, contrary to the expectations set for other employees. SEC filings confirm that Scharf is not required to relocate or travel extensively for his role.
The union criticized the company’s “hub city” policy, which could force thousands of employees to choose between relocating or losing their jobs. Wells Fargo expressed its intent to continue expanding in Arizona and stressed the importance of in-person collaboration for success.
Some employees, like Meghan, who has worked at Wells Fargo for eight years, have experienced frustration with the lack of career progression and insufficient compensation. She emphasized that grueling work hours and additional educational pursuits in an attempt to advance contributed to the stressful conditions that she believes were factors in Prudhomme’s death.
Meghan underscored her own struggles, describing the detrimental impact of the demanding work environment and feeling continuously disregarded by management despite expressing concerns about excessive work hours.