Talk about your bad bosses.
The former head of France Telecom and six of his executives must stand trial over their alleged role in driving more than 30 workers to suicide in two years, a court has ruled.
The suicide wave coincided with a restructuring program at the Paris telecom that began in 2008 and eliminated 20,000 of its 100,000 employees.
The executives overseeing the program are accused of “moral harassment,” according to a court order obtained by Reuters.
Documented cases include:
- a woman who threw herself out of a window
- a man who stabbed himself in the stomach at a staff meeting
- a woman who tried killing herself upon learning she was to be transferred a third time in a single year
- a man found dead at home after writing a letter blaming his job.
France Telecom, which changed its name to Orange in 2013, was headed by Didier Lombard during the troubled period.
He and two other executives have been placed under court supervision until an expected 2019 trial begins.
A report by labor inspectors in 2010 accused management of using such “pathogenic” methods as forcing people into new jobs and giving them unattainable performance objectives.
That same year, Lombard, whose handling of the crisis prompted much criticism, stepped down as CEO.
He has denied wrongdoing, and a spokesman for Orange said it “rejects the accusations and will make its case during the public hearing.”
Moral harassment can be punished with two years in prison and $35,000 in fines.