Four Days Forgotten: How Wells Fargo Failed Denise Prudhomme Part I
In an era where employee engagement, workplace safety, and corporate culture are touted as top priorities,
the tragic death of Denise Prudhomme at Wells Fargo's Tempe, Arizona office exposes the dangerous gap between corporate rhetoric and reality.
Denise, a 60-year-old employee, passed away at her desk and wasn't discovered for four days—an event so jarring that it forces us to confront the systemic failures within Wells Fargo’s management, culture, and safety protocols.
LTBHR’s CEO, Kayla Moncayo, also shares my deep concern for the well-being of employees and will address additional, equally important aspects of this tragedy in a follow-up article. Together, we aim to provide a comprehensive examination of what went wrong and, more importantly, what must be done to prevent such a catastrophe from ever happening again.
Wells Fargo Fails to Offer Adequate Support to Managers
One of the most glaring issues in Denise's case is the complete absence of managerial oversight. It’s easy to point fingers at her immediate supervisor, but let’s be clear: this is a systemic failure. When a manager doesn’t notice that an employee hasn’t clocked out for days, it’s not just negligence—it’s the inevitable result of a company that has failed to equip its leaders with the tools, resources, and incentives necessary to genuinely care for their teams.
In speaking with a previous Wells Fargo employee, they stated, “I had a great supervisor who did seem to do their best, but it was clear that they were stretched so thin that it was hard to.” Managers are often so overwhelmed with unrealistic targets, endless paperwork, and the pressure to keep up with constant changes in policy and procedure. It’s no wonder that they can sometimes come up short. But this isn’t an excuse—it’s an indictment of a corporate structure that values profit margins over people. A company that truly prioritizes its workforce would ensure that managers have the time, training, and support needed to engage with their teams on a human level. Instead, it appears Wells Fargo created an environment where checking in on employees wasn’t just deprioritized; it was obviously neglected.
Wells Fargo Fails to Nurture a Culture of Connection
Denise’s death also sheds light on a far more insidious problem: the toxic culture of disconnection at Wells Fargo. This isn’t just about one manager; it’s about a pervasive environment where employees are isolated from one another, both physically and emotionally. In the Tempe office, most employees were working remotely, further compounding the problem. But let’s be honest—remote work is not the issue. The issue is a culture where employees are so disengaged that the absence of a colleague goes unnoticed for days.
In a healthy workplace, employees are connected, not just by the tasks they perform but by a shared sense of purpose and community.
Wells Fargo Fails to Have Established Employer Protocols
Denise Prudhomme’s death is a glaring example of systemic protocol failures at Wells Fargo, where the absence of essential checks and balances led to a devastating outcome. It’s not just about one person failing to notice her absence; it’s about the entire system failing to protect its people.
First, there was no process for identifying extended work hours or a failure to clock out. In any well-managed organization, there should be automated systems that flag such anomalies. If an employee hasn’t clocked out for an unusually long time, alarms should be raised immediately—whether through automated alerts to management or direct follow-ups by HR. In Denise’s case, there was no such protocol in place, allowing her to remain unnoticed for days.
Secondly, there were no checks and balances for security. A robust security protocol isn’t just about keeping unauthorized individuals out—it’s about ensuring the well-being of those within. Security teams should be responsible for conducting regular sweeps of every floor, especially in buildings where most employees work remotely. But in Denise’s case, the security team evidently failed to notice that she hadn’t moved from her desk for four days.
Lastly, there is no indication of any checks or balances with a cleaning team If a cleaning company is contracted to service an office, they should be required to confirm that they’ve cleaned every part of the office, including individual cubicles. A thorough cleaning should have led to the discovery of Denise far sooner, but it’s clear that the processes in place were either insufficient or not followed.
These lapses are not just minor oversights—they are systemic failures that speak to a deeper issue within Wells Fargo. Without proper checks and balances, even the most basic safety measures fall apart, leading to the kind of tragedy we saw with Denise. It’s a stark reminder that protocols are only as effective as the diligence with which they are enforced.
What Wells Fargo Must Do to Change
Denise Prudhomme’s death should never have gone unnoticed. It’s a stark reminder that no matter how much a company talks about valuing its employees, those words are meaningless without action. Here’s what Wells Fargo—and every employer—must do to ensure that this never happens again:
Empower Managers with Resources and Time: Managers must be given the tools, resources, and, most importantly, the time to genuinely engage with their teams. This means fewer administrative burdens and more opportunities for real, human interaction.
Foster a Culture of Connection: Wells Fargo needs to rebuild its workplace culture from the ground up. This means creating an environment where employees are encouraged to connect with one another, where team-building is prioritized, and where the well-being of each individual is seen as everyone’s responsibility.
Implement Robust Safety Protocols: The company must establish rigorous safety protocols, including regular wellness checks, automated alerts for prolonged absences, and a clear process for checking in on employees who haven’t clocked out. These measures should be non-negotiable and enforced across the board.
Hold Leadership Accountable: Finally, there must be accountability at the highest levels of leadership. The failure to protect Denise wasn’t just a failure of her direct manager—it was a failure of the entire leadership structure at Wells Fargo. Those responsible for creating and maintaining this toxic environment must be held accountable, and real, systemic change must be demanded.
A Lesson for All Employers
Denise Prudhomme’s death isn’t just a tragedy—it’s a call to action. It’s a reminder that corporate America still has a long way to go when it comes to truly valuing its employees. Companies can no longer hide behind empty promises of “putting people first.” It’s time to demand more—from our leaders, from our workplaces, and from ourselves. Because at the end of the day, if we don’t, who will?
In the end, Denise’s death is more than just a failure of one company. It’s a failure of a system that allows human lives to be treated as expendable. In this article, I’ve explored the management failures, toxic culture, and lack of safety protocols that contributed to this tragedy. But there is still more to uncover.
I encourage you to read the follow-up piece by our CEO, who will explore additional critical aspects of this story and offer further insights into what needs to change within corporate America. Together, we hope to shed light on these issues and push for the necessary reforms that will ensure no employee ever suffers the same fate as Denise. Stay tuned for part two of this crucial discussion.
Melanie Chen
COO, Let There Be HR