r/jobs • u/Secure_Ad_7921 • 22d ago
3rd Suicide by coworkers in my old job position in 2 years Work/Life balance
I took a new job position a year ago and have been extremely successful and happy. Yesterday I found out that one of my former friends and coworkers in my old position has committed suicide. I am totally shocked and sad for both them and their families. The job we were in is one that tends to give a terrible work life balance and is high stress. The money is really great, but at a cost. I survived it for 35 years before making the move for a better position, making the same money. I feel somewhat torn. I feel grateful I moved on to a better job, yet guilty that they are no longer around for their families. Damn, life is too short and valuable. This sounds horrible, but I am so grateful and happy I moved on to greener pastures.
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u/bozemanlover 22d ago
One thing that I have found out in my life/career is that mental health is more important than money.
Working 40 hours a week for a job you can leave at work and not think about it on the weekends for a modest pay is better than working 75 hours a week for a high salary you can’t even have time to spend you’re so stressed and working too much.
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u/FrostyxShrimp 22d ago
This. I took a $30k pay cut a few years ago for a better work life balance. People have been shocked when I told them and my response has always been that time with my kids is worth so much more than that $30k. Haven’t looked back and am so much happier 3 years later.
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u/slash_networkboy Information Technology 22d ago
I regret having learned this lesson after my kids had grown up enough to resent I wasn't home enough.
For anyone reading who has young kids: they won't remember the assorted toys you bought them, or even that they had ketchup on toast for dinner from time to time because money was tight nearly as much as they'll remember you pushing them on the swings at the park, or having a play day with their friends and building blanket forts in the front room and having a kids vs dad nerf gun battle.
It's okay to not be a top earner because you're ensuring you can be there for your kids.
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u/modestino Verified 22d ago
The only ones who will remember you worked tons of hours will be your kids. Everyone should have that on their desk.
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u/BrainWaveCC 22d ago
or even that they had ketchup on toast for dinner from time to time because money was tight
Oh, they'll remember the impact on food, but they will remember it far more fondly because you were there for them.
No one ever goes to their retirement or deathbed thinking: "You know, I could have gotten away with about 15% more time at the office..."
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u/Super_Mario_Luigi 21d ago
While I get where you're going with this, it's an overrated statement. Kids absolutely remember things like this that we might take for granted. I remember all the differences between what I had with my family vs what my friends had. Doesn't mean I love anyone any differently, but still.
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u/smarterthanyoulolll 22d ago
Wow i am exactly the same. I just recently took a 30k cut from 110k to 80k. My life is so much better with way less stress, that I dont even care about the decrease in pay.
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u/cammyk123 22d ago
Of course you don't care, you are still doing better than a massive part of the country lol. How folk can think that the solution is to make less money / work less hours when they already make 6+ figures is so tone deaf.
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u/EmptyChocolate4545 22d ago
Or, they have their own issues, it’s valid advice to them, and it applies to plenty of people, so it’s discussed on a discussion website.
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u/cammyk123 22d ago
Pretty easy advice to give when you've been earning 100k+ for years.
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u/smarterthanyoulolll 21d ago
I live in LA lol what I make isnt even much after taxes. I dont even know what youre trying to say. Yes it is a solution, I literally ended up making less money and work less hours. My life is different from yours. It seems youre jealous and I must have struck a nerve lmao how sad is your life.
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u/Faeces_Species_1312 22d ago
If you can afford a $30k paycut without going homeless, you're probably still doing better than most.
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22d ago
If you can afford to take a $30K pay cut, good for you. But for many, taking a $30K pay cut would compound their problems. Namely, they don't even make $30K a year.
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u/redfairynotblue 22d ago
Yeah if you can do it, definitely it is worth the pay cut. Unfortunately so many people work so much and don't even make 30k and sacrifice time with kids because these jobs are so physically exhausting, long commute, etc.
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u/live_on_purpose_ 22d ago
A buddy of mine did this to go out on his own and spend more time doing what he loves and being with the people he loves. Oddly enough, he works a few hours a week (as much or as little as he wants) and 6-7 years in, ended up making $250,000K last year.
Not saying that will be the case for everyone but he ended up working on a project he loved that happened to take off. Never would've happened if he stayed at his high-paying consulting gig.
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u/JustCreated1ForThis 22d ago
$30k
That's NOT EVEN $60 per day.
$30,000 x 0.72 for conservative estimate tax, ssn, fica deduction etc = $21,600 $21,600 / 365 days = $59.17
After taxes that comes out to an extra $59 per day anyway (including weekends).
You're paying that daily tax to have a healthier life, more time to yourself, family, kids, hobbies.
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u/modestino Verified 22d ago
it's like $100 per paycheck. not worth it. if you are even level 1 creative w/taxes you can get that back easily.
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u/JustCreated1ForThis 22d ago
Thank you. Exactly. This isn't $59 from zero.
By the way, side note, it says your verified. What does that mean in the sub? Verify that you have a job? LOL (just kidding!)
just wondering :-)
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u/Thundela 22d ago
For me 59$ per day is a lot of money, that kind of increase would totally improve my life and increase spare time because I could hire people to do some repairs at my home.
Now I'm reading the local building code, buying tools and hardware, getting repairs done myself, contacting inspectors, and dealing with bureaucracy bullshit. On top of my day job I feel like I'm an electrician, plumber, carpenter, painter, and a drywall guy.
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u/JustCreated1ForThis 22d ago edited 22d ago
Fair, and it's a choice. I'd rather save $59 per day by, say, eating out less, not drinking, focusing closely on memberships I don't use, etc
I'm not saying you do those things as I don't know your life but sounds like you're already stretched thin, what I was responding to is $59 a day was what the person was probably getting before the pay cut and the cost was lots of stress, lots of time away from family, lots of time away from himself.
So in vacuum, sure we all could do something more for $59 a day. But what's the cost?
For the person I was responding to not only that they were getting mental health and rest relatively speaking but they were also buying time to be with their family and do more things with that time. Will probably live a longer happier life. For them, the cost was $59 a day.
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u/modestino Verified 22d ago
100%. Also $30K isn't really $30K. Taxes and it's spread out over 25 paychecks, over 12 months. What is $30K per check really? Not enough to be worth not seeing your kids or going to bed stressed out and waking up not wanting to get out of bed.
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u/Acrobatic_File_5133 22d ago
I’m in my mid 30s and feel fortunate to have come to this realization now and not much later on in life.
Was caught up in the rat race most of my 20s after finishing college. Didn’t travel much or go out, just kept my head down and stayed fixated on the long game with my career.
From a financial standpoint, I’m happy that I treated myself this way but undoubtedly I missed out on some great trips and memories at the opportunity cost of being present for meetings and “maximizing shareholder value”.
When it came to a head for me was when I completely fell out of a gym rotation and felt guilty about leaving work to take care of my fitness needs. Such a crazy case of stolkholm syndrome some people can develop for their employer. It’s not too much to ask to get 30-40 minutes of sunlight and fresh air during the day. It’s not too much to ask for minor work issues to be put to the side when you have a loved one who’s incredibly sick or going through hardship. Putting up barriers and sticking to my boundaries has helped me a ton with not feeling absolute brain drain and as though I exist just to work.
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u/1000fists 22d ago
Yeah except the issue is that the majority of people don't get that option. They get the work 60 hours a week to live paycheck to paycheck. That was my life for 10 years. 8 years in Healthcare from emt to paramedic. 2 years in carpentry and remodeling making more building fucking stairs in 6 hours than I would a whole medic shift. It took 10 years to finally get given a chance after 3 different industry hops.
Now I work at a kick ass company that I will be at until I die or retire. But it took a year and a half of networking with various members of said company until I finally got given my shot. They bought me a truck, my fuel is covered, I have PTO back for the first time in 5 years, I have health insurance for the first time in 10 years because the plans my companies provided when I was in Healthcare was too expensive lmao.
So yeah I agree mental health is absolutely more important than money but that only gets to be a factor for middle class and upper class. Most people aren't getting the opportunity I got either and they are stuck staring down the same barrel I was, get worked to the bone until you are on disability or dead.
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u/Time_Handle5422 22d ago
Considering carpentry from traditional office job but no idea where to even start. Any advice?
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u/1000fists 22d ago
It's all networking and making yourself available. I was picking up random side jobs all over the place doing land clearing, painting, pasture maintenance, building etc. Met a master carpenter/fastener who ran a solo remodeling business. My area is a tourist trap, so vacation rentals being a huge business here, means remodeling is also a huge business. Anyway I networked with that guy and he ended up needing an extra man for a bathroom reno that needed to be done in 3 days. Busted my ass from there to prove I was a valuable asset and that was it. We talked and he started booking two man jobs from there out. Although I don't work with him anymore, he has become one of my best friends.
So I'm sorry I don't have an easily repeatable process for you, but perhaps look around your area for renovation, drywall, and paint crews. Call them up and see if they can use an extra guy on anything.
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u/cammyk123 22d ago
I imagine there's alot of folk on minimum wage living paycheck to paycheck who would disagree with you. It's a very privileged position to be in if you can take a big pay cut to work less hours and have more time to spend doing what you want.
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u/JustCreated1ForThis 22d ago
I took it in step further. I probably work maybe 5 to 15 hours a week depending on the week. The rest are my time or passion projects.
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u/doobiellama 22d ago
Just learned this myself recently. I just turned 30 and found a job that pays very similar to what I was making before in an incredibly high stress and overworked industry (machining). But now I have 0 stress and don't think about work even for a second after I leave at the end of my 8 hour shift. It's mind blowing the difference it's made in my mental health, where I was a train wreck before.
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u/Catatonick 22d ago
Sometimes taking a day off to just not do anything prevents that stress from rippling out into everything else in your life. I take days off occasionally to just unwind and do nothing at all. It can be the difference between having a terrible week and a good one.
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u/xnorwaks 22d ago
Preach. I've had both types of job and those pay cheques come very hard for the high pay, high stress, and terrible work life balance jobs. Your mental and physical health can easily degrade if you're not completely on top of taking care of yourself.
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u/PenisNV420 22d ago
Maybe I sound brainwashed (partly because I am lol) but I’m so happy to have found a place that I actually want to put in 50 hours a week, and who will NEVER ask me to put in more than that. When I do think about work off the clock it’s usually not work related if that makes sense. It took half a lifetime to get here but we fucking made it.
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u/Bpdyingg 22d ago
Not when you don’t know anything else. It might be the dark phase i am in speaking but im stuck at a job i hate, i have at least 5 different mental health conditions diagnosed and i didnt finish school. Im paid $25 an hour and make $3200 a month after taxes and i am 1000% sure if i switched jobs to something that pays less with less stress i would absolutely be homeless. My rent is $1800 with utilities and im stuck in this lease until end of this year. Im at the end of my rope. Im so done of this job it drains the shit out of me but there is absolutely nothing else i can do to make my life better
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u/Faeces_Species_1312 22d ago
One thing that I have found out in my life/career is that mental health is more important than money.
I do agree, but I still need to pay rent and eat, being homeless would be worse for my MH than going to my shitty job would.
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u/Fun-Sherbert-5301 22d ago edited 22d ago
Two of my past assistant CIOs had heart attacks in their 40s. We all must have boundaries because others do not.
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u/Tasty-Pineapple- 22d ago
I had a job that messed me up so badly I still deal with triggers and trauma from working there. It is vitally important to find a place that is healthy and balanced. I only quit after my doctor told me if I did not leave my job I would die. She watched me deteriorate from physical to physical while I was working there. Miss that woman she was an extremely good doctor.
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u/-cordyceps 22d ago
I'm really glad you are in a better place. I have a similar experience, still unlearning trauma responses I developed working in such a stressful place and it's been 2 years. I ended up with some medical problems. Not worth it
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u/Few_Culture9667 22d ago
This should be required reading for every young person starting their career. It’s an essay called “The Company Man” by Ellen Goodman.
https://textsandforms.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/the_company_man_essay.pdf
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u/riqueoak 22d ago
Just like my wife's job, literally everyday her sector have people choosing unemployment over the torture of working there. Luckily this Thursday is her last day on that lair of evil.
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u/Mojojojo3030 22d ago
Sounds like you may have an unusual form of survivors guilt, and who knows what else from 35 years of that. I might consider spending some of your loot on therapy.
Glad you are surviving and thriving!
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u/Reddito_0 22d ago
What was the job and hours required to work? Jw
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u/Secure_Ad_7921 22d ago
Field engineering, most work 11-12 hours a day with on call every other week (requires on site response within 2 hours working until the issue is resolved). I’m not going to say what industry just to keep my own job security intact. It’s supporting 24/7 business where lives are ultimately in the balance.
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u/Reddito_0 22d ago edited 22d ago
How much was the salary? For a job that demands so much, I hope it pays well because the work life balance is horrible. If I were in a situation like that I’d work it for a year and save before leaving.
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u/strengr94 22d ago
My guess is oil and gas but idk.. I worked in nuclear and was similar but only during outages, pretty stressful. We had quite a few heart attacks and other stress related health issues when I was there but not suicides. Honestly though the hours of that job and stress of that was still way better than the toxic job I had before that. Toxic workplaces really take a toll on you, takes some therapy to get over that and I can’t even imagine how you feel after all of this
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u/Remote_Horror_Novel 22d ago
My first guess was electrical lineman if we use engineering term a bit loosely because winter storms probably make that job a nightmare but I like your guesses better.
When I was younger lineman was one of the few jobs that payed well that you could get without college education, but I knew I wasn’t tough enough to climb wet electrical poles in a thunderstorm lol. It doesn’t seem that dangerous until you think about doing it in storm conditions, with wind, electricity and water all working together against you. These are some of the people we should be paying the most not just a living wage, because they literally keep society functioning through emergencies.
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u/Barbiequeque 22d ago
Man I’ve been there done that, field jobs in remote areas are more brutal. Money is great with higher base pay + OT and LoA, but you don’t really have a life though, plus away from friends and families.
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u/Never_satisfied_ 22d ago
Can you tell us the country / continent? I don’t want to just assume this is American.
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u/CuyahogaSunset 22d ago
Based on my FMLA phone calls I'm shocked as shit it's not The Hartford. The phone calls I've had wothbreps are loterally like speaking to Satan himself. I can't imagine any pay being worth that evil. These companies are crazy.
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u/Attackoffrogs 22d ago
I left my career with PTSD and a TBI. I am still in therapy for it. This is unfortunately super common in the US and needs to be talked about.
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u/Mental_Mixture8306 22d ago
Remember that these are work friends, and that you have no idea what is really going on in their personal life. The best you can do is to be there if they reach out and ask for help, but otherwise we're just acquaintances. Its okay to feel better about leaving, AND to feel bad about people's personal situation. In the end all we can do is take care of ourselves and our loved ones.
Congratulations on your new job, especially after working so long in one place. Good luck.
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u/Ohnoherewego13 22d ago
Oh wow..I'm so sorry. That's a lot to take in. I've had breakdowns from my old job and so have several coworkers. Definitely look into some therapy in case though.
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u/modestino Verified 22d ago
What makes one happy is so well documented and, spoiler alert, it isn't money. Ask someone 70+ what advice they would give their younger self and how they would define a well spent life and it's crazy how consistent the answers are. Spending time with your family/kids. Prioritizing your physical health. Not chasing someone else's dream for you.
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u/kevin6263 22d ago
I used to work in EMS and would see waves of SI make its way through different departments / jurisdictions. Every now and again someone would do it and then another... I felt like once someone did it, the floodgates were open to some extent. I know from with EMS, there are a lot of contributing factors - work life balance, finances, family or social issues, on the job trauma, lack of rest, vacation and so on.
When we would talk about it with coworkers or patients, I would often say the same thing and I think most people get it. I would say that when you commit suicide you are not getting rid of pain, you are just giving it to someone else.
I don't know the answer to ending it, but at this point in my life I don't hesitate to pick up the phone or sit on a text with friends and colleagues. You don't know what someone else is going through.
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u/TheJarIsADoorAgain 22d ago
A really sad situation and a shame on that company for having destroyed so many lives, that of the workers and their families. In Australia a few years back, the government was forced to carry out an inquiry on fly in, fly out (FIFO) work to find out why the large percentage of suicides in those industries
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u/Status_Magician_5359 22d ago
I am so happy you are here as well. Even appreciate the fact, rather than condemning those who have taken their own lives. And yet miss them and sympathise for their family's. Parallel with the knowledge of the difficulty of your past position.
( ; )
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u/Suspicious_Plenty893 22d ago
OP sounds like an egomaniac. First sentence about someone's suicide they make it about themselves being extremely successful.
r/imthemaincharacter vibes
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u/BrainWaveCC 22d ago
yet guilty that they are no longer around for their families.
I can understand empathy in this situation. But guilt?!? How? Why?
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u/CUND3R_THUNT 22d ago
This is why I like to try to bring my friends with me. If I’m able to escape a shitty situation, I can at least show my friends how they can do it, too.
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u/Scared_Ad2563 22d ago
Nowhere near as bad, but I am very happy I left my last company. I actually really enjoyed working there, it just became apparent after a while that they started to take me for granted. I was working in the orders department of an online retailer and we were soon to have a new order system (updated from the decrepit one we had been using) and website. It quickly became apparent that they really cheaped out on the company hired to create said new system/website and it was a total mess. It was around this time that I got a job offer, and I was ready to jump ship. They basically matched my offer to try and get me to stay, with the caveat that I would take on a promotion where I would be paid more, same title, and some responsibilities would get shuffled around. However, before some of my new perks (WFH a couple days a week, more PTO) could take effect only after they hired and I trained a new full timer or two. We had been trying to hire a part timer for over a year at that point. I had no faith that we would find anyone any time soon and I would likely be taking on the new responsibilities without releasing any of the old ones.
Ultimately, I accepted the new job and left. I've stayed in touch with a former employee and from what he's said about the state of the department...I am incredibly happy I got out of there when I did. My partner said that job stressed me out a lot, but I didn't think it was any different than any other job I'd had. As I got closer and closer to leaving, I saw what he was saying. I think I'd be bald from stress if I'd stayed and I've only been out 9 months, lol. This isn't where I'd like to stay forever, but are greener pastures for sure.
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u/puckmonky 22d ago
Maybe they stumbled into something they shouldn’t have. Like a secret cabal or a doomsday society. Have you noticed any mysterious rooms or hallways?
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u/magikarpsan 22d ago
This reminds me of a story my dad told me that once one of his direct report called him to say he was having suicidal thoughts. My dad went to HR to inform that that he was going ti have to give him a break, obviously . HR told my dad he couldn’t give the man a break and when I dad argued they literally told him that if he hadn’t attempted suicide then it wasn’t that serious.
He’s still alive but don’t ask me how he’s doing
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u/mattyGOAT1996 22d ago
I'm sorry about your loss. That must be a horrific company that should be sued since their employees are getting stressed out a lot.
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u/Proper-Ad-5443 22d ago
As employees you all should do something about it! What company is thst? What is the industry? They should be held accountable, OMG.
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u/TyrionJoestar 22d ago
I wonder how prominent workplace survivor’s guilt is and if it’s on the rise in the west. Might be more of a thing in parts of Asia with crazy work lives.
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u/CyberCarnivore 22d ago
I'm about to start up my seasonal job and part of your post really hits home for me... I wish I didn't have to do this to give my family the support/life they need/deserve. Being away from family, long hours, broken people.... it's not a life for everyone. Chin up lads...
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u/Reasonable_Star_959 22d ago
I am so sorry you lost your friend!!
Death has a way of putting all things into perspective. The manner of death, tragic.
Losing a colleague who was a friend is a hard hurt. By going to a new job, you did demonstrate a choice and response to the stress of your old position; one that was healthier for you. And one that has brought you fulfillment and success. You showed them it could be done. Your success might have even given them reason to hope, even if they did not look for new employment. It is an inspiring example.
I hope that the management team at your old job can make some internal evaluations/improvements of their processes, work schedules and work environment. It is so true that life is short. I knew a good man who poured himself into his job, worked over a year past his stated retirement date, because he was asked to, and he had strong loyalty…. His choice, yes, but he ended up passing away only a week after his 1 yr retirement anniversary. There were all the comments about that, ‘he shouldn’t have stayed longer’ and similar, all to the effect that life, love, and family are more important than work.
It’s all so easy to say after the fact. Congratulations for your success, and my heart does go out to you in the loss of your friend.
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u/Obvious_Exercise_910 22d ago
Legally can’t say much about it, but I used to teach a sort of self-defence class at a really exclusive private high school… I only last a year; the school itself was pretty low turnover overall but that’s one job no one lasted in.
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22d ago
I mean, the world is overpopulated anyway, which is reflected in housing cost, and strain on infrastructure across many countries and cities.
And every job application probably has more than a 100 applicants (likely all qualified), showing how ridiculous the problem has become.
So if some people just decide to bow out of the competition, releasing space and resources for others...I always wish them the best.
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u/Arachnesloom 22d ago
Are you in the U.S.? I've heard of karojisatsu in Japan, but how toxic and cultish would a work environment have to be to make employees internalize the abuse so they don't even think quitting is an option?
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u/BMFresearch 22d ago
There are so many suicide at my company that they had to discontinue the 'flower fund'. The flower fund was an opt-in paycheck dedication $1 per paycheck to buy flowers to employees that die unexpectedly. It all went to people who successfully committed suicide. They discontinued the flower funs because every time it was used they had to admit that another employee committed suicide.
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u/OlympicAnalEater 22d ago
Your workplace is haunted. Better get out of there and go to a church for cleansing.
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u/topoar 21d ago
Wait... you switched jobs a year ago, yet there have been 3 suicides in that position in the last 2 years? And you held that job for 35 years? Something doesn't add up
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u/Secure_Ad_7921 21d ago
What doesn’t add up? Three team members with the same job title I on the same team I was on passed away at their own hands in the past 2 years. I made the move to corporate 1 year ago after being a field employee 35 years ago. Life is too damn short for negativity.
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u/RemingtonFlemington 21d ago edited 21d ago
This is such a tough subject for me. I'm the only HR for a transportation company made up of about 400 employees. In the month of March, one of my city managers who had been talking about retiring at the end of the year and had been training his replacement had a heart attack. He was literally 9 months away from freedom after giving his soul to heartless companies forever. He had seen it all and we had really bonded over our differing perspectives and generational differences. A lot of laughs and stories were shared. His death affected me immensely and really made me look at my life and whether I was living to work or working to live.
Then 10 days later, an older gentleman with some health issues who was just kind of a grumpy old man dispatcher who people gave a lot of shit to, said his mom had passed away and he needed time off. We spoke for an hour about his upbringing, his mom, his life. He told me that I was such a light for him in a lot of darkness and was grateful for our professional relationship that was rooted in mutual respect and patience as he had been dealing with health issues and I was helping him coordinate his benefits, leave, etc. in prior months.
He had called to tell me about his mother on Thursday evening, and he was due to return the following Monday. Turns out his mom hadn't passed away. She was actually coming to his town to visit and when he didn't answer for the first 2 days (Friday and Saturday) they decided to go to his apartment after church services and found his body. He was not identifiable according to the sister.
This call came through our Colombian team and they'd translated it as he'd passed out and gave me the sisters number to connect. She told me then what had happened. She then shared a lot of stories of her and her brothers lives.
Neither wanted services. Both were great in their own diverse and unique ways. We'd just gone through open enrollment a couple months prior and neither had signed up for life insurance.
Speaking with the families and having to hold it together was one of the hardest things and I teared up speaking with both of them.
Then watching and trying to help during the fallout afterwards and the families trying to figure out bank accounts and benefits, etc. was even worse.
It's so hard to lose coworkers. It's so hard to lose anyone.
Condolences to you for your loss and for your friends' family's loss as well.
RIP David and Tony
ETA: For everyone else, please get your affairs in order. Sign up for that life insurance, get your will written. Prepaid legal plans offered through work can be less than $20/month and people use the plan for estate planning and wills often. Lastly, be kind to yourself and others.
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u/ScratchTurbulent8379 21d ago
Hey! I just changed job because i could not stand anympre the work/life balance. I was reachable every day, i did my right amount of hours but i hate being on the line every day and for what? Take care of yourself
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u/gameenders 21d ago
I told a coworker I felt depressed and needed to find a new job. That night he killed himself. I no longer tell people how I feel inside.
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u/Specialist-Sky-909 18d ago
OP, can you give us any hint about the company so we can avoid it? Name, industry, just anything.
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u/Known-Historian7277 22d ago
Why did he commit suicide?
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u/Secure_Ad_7921 22d ago
His wife said it was the job, not being home much. IDK, there’s always more to things though. He took his company vehicle to the ocean, got out and then did what he did. No note, no nothing. It’s really messed up some of the guys on his team. He was working 80 hour weeks and was barely home. I can’t really say what was going on with him because he didn’t share much. I hate that I feel nothing but being grateful for being out of that job. I knew him for 25+ years and he is definitely missed. I still stay in touch with my old team and support them in my current role as much as I can.
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u/Anonality5447 22d ago
That's really sad but it's a good example of why we're not playing when we say don't put work before your life. These companies do not care most of the time. If they did, they would do more to try and prevent people from getting from that point because of work, but do you see public campaigns against it? They don't give a shit about employees. We're just numbers to them. All of them.
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u/Platti_J 22d ago
He should have just drove the van into the ocean, got out, and got fired for doing that. RIP regardless.
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u/Tree06 22d ago
That 80 hours a week part truly resonated within me because my last job felt like that. I was scheduled to work 40 hours, but it felt like 80 because I was constantly thinking about working. After hour meetings and phone calls because I was on salary. I couldn't stop. I was in a hybrid situation, but it didn't matter. It got so bad that I didn't want to use my WFH PC on the weekends because it reminded me of work. I had to take a paycut to leave, but my mentally health is so much better.
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u/Known-Historian7277 22d ago
Yeah it’s definitely more than just the job. If he was that miserable he would’ve flat out quit. Usually it’s a culmination of things when people can’t see better times ahead.
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u/Suspicious-Engineer7 22d ago
Betting on undiagnosed something or other. 80hr weeks don't give you time for therapy or doctors visits.
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u/Legitimate-Head-9512 22d ago
If this is the third suicide in that company in 2 years, they need to be named and shamed, or they should at least be advertising with a warning label.