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French Employee Is 24th to Kill Himself in Firm's 'Suicide Spiral'
foxnews.com/ ^ | September 29, 2009 | SKY News

Posted on 09/29/2009 2:25:43 PM PDT by Berlin_Freeper

A 24th France Telecom employee has killed himself in what the company says is a "suicide spiral."

The 51-year-old father-of-two hurled himself to his death from a bridge onto a busy road in the Haute-Savoie region of the country.

In a letter to his wife, he blamed the unbearable "atmosphere" at his workplace.

France Telecomhas been dogged by a series of suicides in the last 18 months.

The deaths include a woman who jumped from her office window in the summer, while another man survived stabbing himself in the stomach during a work meeting.

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: france
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To: MikeWUSAF

“I’m not sure you can use the words “French” and “work” in the same sentence.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
That is probably ok but you definitely CAN’T use “French”, “work” and “suck” in the same sentence.
You can use any combination of 2 but not 3—as long as “suck” is one of them....


21 posted on 09/29/2009 3:31:00 PM PDT by xrmusn ((6/98 )VOTE THE INCUMBENTS OUT)
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To: Berlin_Freeper

Did they ask them to work 36 hours a week?


22 posted on 09/29/2009 3:51:32 PM PDT by dljordan
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To: Berlin_Freeper

Wow, I’ve never worked anyplace that sucked that bad, and I’ve worked fast food.


23 posted on 09/29/2009 3:52:57 PM PDT by discostu (When I'm walking a dark road I am a man who walks alone)
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To: 2Jedismom

Some of us stayed because we loved our job. We loved to help others, and had security plus benefits.

Just walk away? I was in therapy, for several years, just trying to hold on.

Once the “bottom line” became the norm for every company, the “family” workplace was lost. Then, there was good old Political Correctness, the friend of every cutthroat looking to climb the ladder. No more jokes, yadda, yadda.

I finally walked away, not knowing how I would survive.

I called my therapist (psychiatrist) and told him I was gone. He helped me to get long term disability.

I just retired recently. Still taking meds since about 1989.

It was a very difficult time, during and after I left the company. I thank God for carrying me through. I do not believe in suicide, though there were many times I wished to die.


24 posted on 09/29/2009 3:56:34 PM PDT by wizr (The Bible is the Truth. We just lie to ourselves when we don't want to believe it.)
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To: Texan Tory
Their approach to business is one of central control. The give very little authority to the local management. They love yes men to stroke their egos. They demand results from their plan even if it is flawed and will not look at alternative approaches. You are held accountable for results when you have no input. They tend to be rude to and dismissive of those that aren't French. If you have every thing documented they are happy even if the documentation is pure fantasy as if lip service is enough. They love to abide by quotas such as # of managers to line employees. They use business metrics that make absolutely no sense in the US ($ of revenue per sqft of facility). They failed to respect US holidays (July 4th) and had no qualms with understaffing and working local management to death. They did startups on the cheap and then screamed when quality suffered, not because they wanted quality but because the were back charged for it. I could go on but after five years working for a French company in the US I was shot. I have been with my new company for 2 years and the difference is like heaven vs hell.
25 posted on 09/29/2009 4:03:29 PM PDT by KSCITYBOY
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To: wizr

How successful was the company among its competition?

Doesn’t seem right that a company that makes their employees sick would be a winning formula, does it?

What exactly was your daily responsibility?


26 posted on 09/29/2009 4:04:13 PM PDT by DCPatriot ("It aint what you don't know that kills you. It's what you know that aint so" Theodore Sturgeon))
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To: TigersEye
And people say socialism doesn’t work. That’s 24 people who don’t need health care and 24 new job openings for the unemployed.*****

Yep, your right on the situation....keep up the good work..

27 posted on 09/29/2009 4:05:01 PM PDT by goat granny
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To: Berlin_Freeper
It's the predictable, tragic side effect of waking up and realizing one horrible day, that no matter where you go or what you do, you're French.


Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.

28 posted on 09/29/2009 4:10:15 PM PDT by The Comedian (Evil can only succeed if good men don't point at it and laugh.)
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To: goat granny

Heh heh, oh, I’ll try. If I ever lose my sarcasm what would be left? ;^)


29 posted on 09/29/2009 4:10:36 PM PDT by TigersEye (Everybody knows it's a spotted dog...)
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Comment #30 Removed by Moderator

To: Berlin_Freeper

Jul 2 2007
A spate of suicides amongst workers at French car plants reflects the fact that large numbers of workers are being driven to take their own lives by workplace stresses.

Three workers at the Peugeot factory in Mulhouse killed themselves in two weeks, one hanging himself in the factory. -— Companies are unsurprisingly keen to keep this information quiet, an unconfirmed report has also claimed that 20 France Telecom workers committed suicide in 2005.

http://libcom.org/news/france-suicides-amongst-auto-workers-02072007


31 posted on 09/29/2009 4:31:33 PM PDT by anglian
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To: Berlin_Freeper

Some 23 employees at France Telecom have committed suicide in the past 18 months.

video at bottom of page. http://www.france24.com/en/20090913-labour-minister-calls-ceo-discuss-suicides-telecom-lombard-darcos


32 posted on 09/29/2009 4:38:23 PM PDT by anglian
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To: KSCITYBOY

Interesting take. I inspected welds done by a French company in Marseilles as a regulatory agency. Thankfully, I only had to worry about the quality and whether they followed the weld procedures.

They didn’t, and had to chuck a ton of work. They were flanges for ship/shore transfer fittings for LNG ships, so it had to be right.

Imagine an existentialist mindset running up against the concept of having pride in the quality of one’s work, or up against the concept of not caring whether the welds cracking during LNG transfer made any difference in the great scheme of things.


33 posted on 09/29/2009 4:47:13 PM PDT by RinaseaofDs
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To: Berlin_Freeper
They are telling them there is no reward for taking your job seriously and hard work is not rewarded. Also that anyone could do their job, even if they are the most dedicated and long served. Hmmmm

Sounds like what leftists want to do to America. Demoralization.

34 posted on 09/29/2009 4:54:26 PM PDT by Earthdweller (Harvard won the election again...so what's the problem.......?)
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To: discostu
Wow, I’ve never worked anyplace that sucked that bad, and I’ve worked fast food.

My first job, while I was in high school was flipping burgers. I have had plenty of high tech job assignments since then that sucked a lot worse. My current job situation sounds like it's within an order of magnitude of what is evidently going on in that company.

35 posted on 09/29/2009 5:36:27 PM PDT by altair ("We are content and happy if Obama can stay forever as president of America." - Gadhafi)
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To: KSCITYBOY

Glad to know you got out of that hell.


36 posted on 09/29/2009 6:33:31 PM PDT by Freedom'sWorthIt (Obama's Deathcare ---- many will suffer and/or die unnecessarily.)
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To: Freedom'sWorthIt
Thanks for the thought. I am very grateful to be where I am and feel very lucky.
37 posted on 09/29/2009 6:45:49 PM PDT by KSCITYBOY
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To: KSCITYBOY

Yes indeed! I bet you do! May blessings continue in your life!


38 posted on 09/29/2009 6:50:43 PM PDT by Freedom'sWorthIt (Obama's Deathcare ---- many will suffer and/or die unnecessarily.)
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To: mamelukesabre
I know you meant to be a smartass with that comment.

I've worked hard to have a reputation that proceeds me.

39 posted on 09/30/2009 6:26:34 AM PDT by Tijeras_Slim (Live jubtabulously!)
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To: Berlin_Freeper
Just D@mn.

I bet they're hiring.

Cheers!

40 posted on 09/30/2009 3:34:26 PM PDT by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
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