Good morning.
Employees love flexible schedules, and although jobs that are purely remote are disappearing, hybrid work is here to stay.
It comes with big upsides, like less commuting time, along with a few downsides, like sometimes a less robust office culture. But the recent death of a Wells Fargo employee reveals an overlooked potential pitfall: Employee safety.
Wells Fargo employee Denise Prudhomme badged into her office on a Friday morning, but never left. Her body was discovered at her cubicle the following Tuesday by a security guard. No foul play is suspected. “We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague,” Wells Fargo wrote in a statement. “We are committed to the safety and wellness of our workforce.”
The fact that an employee could be dead for so long without someone else noticing speaks to a new reality about our working lives: There are fewer opportunities to check in with workers organically, and by default, most teams are communicating less.
“When hybrid work was less prevalent, we used to see our colleagues in the office every day. This enabled us to see really clearly if something was wrong, if somebody wasn’t there, if they were acting differently,” Emily Rosado-Solomon, assistant professor of management at Babson College, tells Fortune. “I don’t think the workplace has caught up to the types of communication and support that is required in a remote and hybrid workplace.”
But the incident also begs the question: What are managers actually responsible for? And how far is too far when it comes to monitoring employees? Tracking keyboard stroke might be technically an option, but some experts say that’s no way to build a healthy work culture.
“That undermines trust. It doesn’t convey a sense of caring or well being,” says Rosado-Solomon. “That is not something that I think is generally helpful.”
You can read my full story about what the Wells Fargo incident reveals about the current workplace here.
Emma Burleigh
emma.burleigh@fortune.com
September 11, 2024: This story has been updated to clarify details about workplace health discussions.
Around the Table
A round-up of the most important HR headlines.
Air Canada announced it’s planning to suspend flights starting Sept. 15 if the company cannot reach common ground with a union representing more than 5,000 pilots. Bloomberg
Workplace experts say that employees working from home are skipping lunch, but missing out on meals can hurt staffers’ physical and mental well-being. Business Insider
Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt will cut down staff in response to a cooling global electric vehicle market, as European demand has slumped over tariff concerns. WSJ
Watercooler
Everything you need to know from Fortune.
Backtrack. Despite Santander assuring its employees that “flexibility is here to stay,” the Spanish bank is forcing its workers and CEO to come in four more days per month. —Prarthana Prakash
Iron fist. The new CEO of Starbucks Brian Niccol says the worst advice he ever received was from a manager who told him to “demonstrate that you have the ability to fire somebody.” —Paolo Confino
Crisis averted. Boeing and a union representing more than 30,000 workers agreed on a preliminary new contract on Sunday, securing a sizable wage hike and preventing a massive strike in the Seattle area. —AFP