Death of Wells Fargo employee highlights workplace safety risks in the age of hybrid work

At approximately 7 a.m. on Friday, August 30, Denise Prudhomme checked into her work station at a Wells Fargo bank branch in Tempe, Arizona. She later died in her cubicle and was not discovered until the following Tuesday by a security guard after coworkers complained of a foul odor. Her cause of death is still unknown, but authorities do not suspect foul play.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague Denise Prudhomme,” Wells Fargo wrote in a statement. “The safety and well-being of our workforce is our top priority.”

Prudhomme died on a Friday – just before the weekend and on a day when most of the bank’s hybrid employees are not coming into the office. And although such an incident is rare in the working world, experts say Assets that this shouldn't be viewed as a complete departure. Instead, it highlights the potentially tragic pitfalls that come with the rise of hybrid and remote work, including less communication between employees, fewer employee check-ins, and a blurred line between transparency and privacy.

“This is incredibly tragic. It's a reflection of a broader transformation. When hybrid work was less common, we saw our colleagues in the office every day. That way, we could clearly see if something was wrong, if someone was missing or behaving differently,” says Emily Rosado-Solomon, assistant professor of management at Babson College. Assets. “Now that we live in a world where there is increasing hybrid and remote work, we are not seeing the people in front of us. I don't think the workplace has kept pace with the types of communication and support that are needed in a remote and hybrid workplace.”

Communication and cultural problems

In the past, colleagues would constantly bump into each other in the hallway or at the water cooler. While these weren't necessarily deep interactions, they served as social touchpoints throughout the day. But the era of remote work has changed all that.

The number of U.S. workers in hybrid roles is substantial and shows no signs of decreasing. About 35% of U.S. workers did all or part of their work from home in 2023, up from 34% in 2022, according to a 2024 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Companies that offer flexible options often receive a flood of qualified applicants, and around 29% of American adults say they prefer hybrid positions, up from 25% in 2023, according to a 2024 study by business intelligence firm Morning Consult.

As a result, many workers no longer see their coworkers on a daily basis. These fleeting chats may seem inconsequential, but they were important in assessing coworkers' well-being, says Tanya Moore, chief human resources officer at West Monroe, a management consulting firm. Assets.

“You could be there and see it sooner,” she says. “But when you're working at home, it's just harder to see it.”

Because communication is partially or entirely virtual, status checks like in a face-to-face environment are no longer possible, but there is no new protocol to replace them. “We never developed routines in the workplace in non-crisis times,” says Rosado-Solomon. “What does healthy communication, support and monitoring look like when we don't see our colleagues every day?”

Experts say it's not impossible to socialize over Zoom and Slack, but it should feel natural, not forced. And it can be difficult to achieve that blending if connectivity isn't already built into the company culture.

Finding the right solution depends on the unique circumstances of each company, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach. But Amy Mosher, CEO of Isolved, a human capital management company, says Assets Creating a more formal virtual approach is an option to consider.

“There should be a buddy system within your own infrastructure that ensures someone checks in with the others every day,” she says. “A peer network for people working from home is great from both an engagement and security perspective.”

What tasks do managers actually take on?

But Purdohomme's death raises the question: What are company leaders actually responsible for and how should companies go about monitoring their employees?

In some cases, there may be no warning signs that an employee is in distress or needs some kind of control. But in other cases, there may be signals that something is wrong. Susan Stehlik, clinical professor of management at NYU Stern, says Assets that it is ultimately the bosses' responsibility to look after their employees. “As a manager, you should know your people,” she says. “If you really know your employees, you'll know when someone is in trouble and you'll know how to take them aside.”

Yet managers are often underprepared when it comes to leading teams in flexible environments where employees are scattered and rarely meet in person. According to a 2024 Gallup report, about 70% of managers say they have not received formal training on managing hybrid workforces. According to Rosado-Solomon, this lack of coaching can lead to supervisors being hesitant to follow up in a potentially high-risk situation.

“Many times, managers don't know how to respond when they think there's a problem with their employee,” she says. “I see a lot of hesitation. People say, 'Maybe that's not my job. I don't want to impose.' Or, 'What if I say the wrong thing and make it worse?' That stops a lot of well-meaning people from helping their colleagues in ways that could be beneficial.”

Colleagues can also play an important role because they interact with their colleagues more frequently and maintain more personal relationships in which potential problems are raised.

“Make sure employees see and say something,” Mosher says. “For safety reasons, there are so many different scenarios why you would want to do that.”

Data protection issues

While experts agree that companies should play a responsible role in ensuring the well-being of their employees, they also point out that these efforts go too far and can lead to privacy issues.

Employers can monitor their employees through things like ID checks and laptop activity. In fact, many companies have done this to crack down on employees trying to circumvent RTO regulations. But going too far can make employees uncomfortable. No one wants to work in a surveillance state.

“Some companies have gone too far and recorded things like their employees' keystrokes. That undermines trust. It doesn't convey a sense of care or well-being,” says Rosado-Solomon. “I don't think that's generally helpful.”

And if an employee does indeed have an underlying health condition, data protection laws make it extremely difficult for managers to have these conversations.

“Because of HIPAA, I can't just go and say, 'Hey, I think George is sick.' HR would turn me away immediately. You're not allowed to talk about medical conditions,” Stehlik says.

Experts Assets Some experts believe that a strong interpersonal culture of mutual checks and balances can identify these risks more productively than surveillance measures such as controlling laptop use.

“A more natural human connection can really help with that. And then it's not Big Brother,” says Moore. “That personal care and trust to have open, transparent conversations is really important.”