A Wells Fargo employee was found dead four days after logging in at her office. What however has raised fingers is that the body lay undetected for days before it was eventually discovered by a worker. The incident has raised serious doubts about the safety policies at Wells Fargo. Also, it has yet again brought into focus the health and well-being of banking employees, which has been a burning issue as many young bankers have committed suicide after being unable to cope with the demanding job.

For context, 60-year-old Denise Prudhomme entered the Wells Fargo office building in Tempe, Arizona, at 7 am on 16 August. She was found dead after four days and building security called officials regarding a “subject down.” While the cause of her death is currently unknown officials have ruled out foul play after the initial investigation. However, the case is currently under investigation and more details would follow.

Wells Fargo Employee Found Dead After Four Days

In its statement on the incident, Wells Fargo said, “We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague, Denise Prudhomme. Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones, and we are in contact to ensure they are well supported during this difficult time. We are committed to the safety and wellness of our workforce. Counselors are available to support any employees impacted by this event.”

Meanwhile, what’s concerning here is how Prudhomme went unnoticed for so long, and the incident has raised concerns over the safety policies at that Wells Fargo location. According to a KPNX of Phoenix report, she worked in a cubicle on the third floor of that building which is away from the main aisle.

In its statement, Wells Fargo said that Prudhomme’s desk was in a “very underpopulated area” of the office. Also, most of the employees work remotely in that office. The building however has round-the-clock security so ideally someone should have discovered Prudhomme a lot sooner. As a Wells Fargo employee aptly said, “That’s the scary part. That’s the uneasy part.” They added, “It’s negligence in some part.”

Some Wells Fargo Employees Complained of a Foul Smell

To be sure, some Wells Fargo employees did feel a foul smell but thought it was due to faulty plumbing at the premises. Prudhomme was finally discovered when an employee walking around the building noticed her.

Employees are meanwhile aghast at the lack of proper information from Wells Fargo. “I’m just wondering why they didn’t formally address employees about it?” said one employee.

The very idea of a dead colleague lying undetected for so long is quite concerning. “It’s really heartbreaking and I’m thinking, ‘What if I were just sitting there?'” said a worker at the location. They added, “To hear she’s been sitting at the desk like that would make me feel sick … and nobody did anything. That’s how she spent her last moments.”

Working in Top Banks Can Be Stressful

Meanwhile, Prudhomme’s unfortunate death has yet again put in the spotlight the working conditions in the banking and financial sector. While investment banking is among the most sought-after and prestigious roles that young graduates fancy, the industry is also notorious for its insane working hours which can top 100 hours a week in many cases.

Bank of America was recently forced to act against its managers after a Wall Street Journal report said some junior bankers at the second-largest US bank worked overtime without actually logging in these hours officially.

The bankers were told by their managers to not report their long working hours which helped them escape the scrutiny and bypass the bank’s policies.

Such cases seem to be quite widespread in the sector and we cannot single out one bank. In 2021, after reports of employees working over 100 hours per week spread, Goldman Sachs was forced to strengthen its so-called ‘Saturday rule’ under which employees could not work between 9 p.m. Friday to 9 a.m. Sunday, unless in some circumstances.

The financial services industry is also notorious for the demanding sales targets which often pushes employees into misselling and forgery. The most infamous case surfaced in 2016 where several Wells Fargo employees opened countless fake accounts for customers as they were under pressure to meet sales targets.

Meanwhile, while initial investigations have ruled out any foul play in Prudhomme’s death, it does not reflect well on the security policies of the third-largest US bank. Moreover, it is yet another PR disaster for the bank which is battling allegations that it conducted fake interviews for women and diverse candidates even though it did not intend to hire them for the positions.