In a and deeply unsettling episode that has been getting attention across the country today, a Wells Fargo employee in Tempe, Arizona, was found dead at her cubicle four days after she had clocked in for work.
The employee, Denise Prudhomme, 60, had apparently died shortly after arriving at her desk on August 16, but her body wasn’t discovered until August 20. The discovery was made only after a colleague noticed a foul odor and took it upon themselves to investigate.
The story has rattled many, not just because of the tragedy itself, but because of what it symbolizes. Prudhomme’s death and the delay in finding her bringing to light a disturbing reality in today’s work environment, where workers are often too consumed with their own tasks and their own work to notice for several days.
The idea that one could die at their desk and go unnoticed for days is the stuff of nightmares for many workers and Prudhomme’s story resonates with many a modern office worker, which is why the story as spread so far, so quickly. It is the realization of a fear that’s often whispered but rarely acknowledged openly: the fear of becoming invisible in a world that values productivity over people.
The thought that a person’s death could be overlooked, misinterpreted as a case of faulty plumbing—as was the initial reaction to the odor in Prudhomme’s office—paints a bleak picture of modern work life.
Earlier this week, a survey revealed that workers in Georgia are some of the hardest working in the country, with the state’s workers coming in 10th for the number of hours logged at work during a workvweek.
