Four Days Forgotten: How Wells Fargo Failed Denise Prudhomme Part II

On August 20, 2024 Denise Prudhomme of Tempe,

Arizona was found dead in her Wells Fargo cubicle four days after badging into her office.

Reports claim Denise scanned into the Wells Fargo office building at 7am on Friday, August 16th and she never scanned out.

While Denise’s cause of death has not been determined, the police claim their preliminary investigation showed no obvious signs of foul play.

As the investigation of Denise’s cause of death continues, it is evident an investigation into Wells Fargo’s employment practices must also be conducted.

Wells Fargo failed Denise and every employee in that building; facts we refuse to let be swept under the rug in the aftermath of this tragedy.

Melanie Chen, SPHR, SHRM-CP's article Four Days Four Days Forgotten Part I introduces Wells Fargo's failures within their culture and their safety protocols, as well as what steps companies can take to avoid these failures. This article takes a look at additional failures Denise's tragic death reveals.

Wells Fargo Fails to Uphold Employer Obligations

Contrary to popular belief, employers in America have obligations to their employees dictated by federal and state regulations. While we have seen an increase in employer obligations based on social pressure in the last few years, Wells Fargo failed to provide basic employee necessities in their Tempe office.

American work environments are regulated by several federal agencies such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Denise’s state of residence and employment, Arizona, has virtually no additional regulations for Wells Fargo to abide by.

Generally speaking, employees in America agree to a set of conditions provided by their employer in exchange for labor. Those conditions include a safe work environment, something none of the Tempe employees have experienced since August 16th.

Regardless of Denise’s cause of death, Wells Fargo failed to create a work environment with checks and balances that ensure employees are safe and accounted for, even when they come into the office. This company not only requires employees to come into the office, they force employees to be in a space where there is little to no oversight for their wellbeing. Even a basic fire drill has more consideration for employee safety than the office standards Wells Fargo has at their Tempe location.

Understanding that Wells Fargo is responsible for upholding the bare minimum standards required of an employer in the United States is crucial. A $199.01 Billion company is not incapable of upholding basic standards, they willingly do so to the detriment of employees like Denise. If Denise’s death is due to a medical emergency, it is safe to assume she would not have had to die alone in her cubicle had she worked for another employer.

Wells Fargo Fails to be Inclusive

There are an estimated 4,735 Native American people residing in Tempe, AZ. The surrounding cities (Mesa, Gilbert, Peoria) have a combined population of over 10,000 Native American residents. It is reasonable to assume the Wells Fargo office that Denise passed away in has at least a few Native American employees based on these population statistics.

Native American people have many traditions surrounding death that vary tribe by tribe, although each tribe shares the belief that death is sacred. Some of these traditions require spaces where a deceased body has been to be formally cleansed.

Many Arizona based employers, such as Coconino County, have found inclusive practices that respect these important beliefs. Coconino County considered their Native American employees as they made plans to move the Medical Examiner Office. This employer also hired Native American priests to cleanse an office building after lightning struck the building as this was a required practice for some Native American tribes.

Put plainly, Wells Fargo made an active effort to exclude strongly held religious beliefs of Native American employees by failing to inform the employees of a death in the building and/or providing any services to cleanse the space.

Wells Fargo Fails to Provide Basic Humanity

While part 1 discusses how Wells Fargo failed to provide basic humanity to Denise, we cannot address this tragedy without also addressing how Wells Fargo failed to provide basic humanity to all of their employees.

It has been reported that Wells Fargo did not inform their employees of Denise’s death for several days, claiming they wanted Denise’s family to be informed first; a decision that clearly indicates Wells Fargo’s Human Resources department is missing the mark in their employee communications strategy.

An employee death is something every HR professional fears, and it is also a situation every HR professional should be equipped to handle.

Aside from the aforementioned inclusionary practices, not informing employees of the death of a coworker at the office is grossly negligent. Wells Fargo Human Resources should have informed employees of Denise’s death immediately while withholding her name. Employees should have been informed this death was not due to workplace violence, and they should have been given space to process this loss as a team. Wells Fargo Tempe employees were left to wonder if their own office space was safe, how Denise passed away, and if there were any resources for them in the aftermath of this death.

Wells Fargo’s abject failure in this situation should demand a formal inquiry into their employment practices that leads to legitimate workplace changes. Denise, and all Wells Fargo employees, deserve better.