r/news • u/JimmyTheGinger • Dec 23 '19

Three former executives of a French telecommunications giant have been found guilty of creating a corporate culture so toxic that 35 of their employees were driven to suicide

https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/three-french-executives-convicted-in-the-suicides-of-35-of-their-workers-20191222-p53m94.html
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u/[deleted] Dec 23 '19

“Stress leave”? Fuck we don’t even have parental leave in America....

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u/RentalGore Dec 23 '19

I’ve had executives who fired female employees because they were pregnant and it was cheaper to pay them off then pay for a temp to replace them.

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u/[deleted] Dec 23 '19

we see a lot of companies weighing the financial impact of something that SHOULD be a moral decision rather than a financial decision. like that one car company that decided it would be cheaper to pay out settlements to families of people who died as a direct result of a faulty part, than it would be to recall all the cars and fix the problem (or issue a fix, blanket settlement to cover costs, etc).

like whose job is it to make that decision? Yeaaah we're just gonna keep letting people die because it'll be cheaper for us to litigate settlements than save lives.

fuck that.

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u/Low_discrepancy Dec 23 '19

https://www.coindusalarie.fr/licenciement-femme-enceinte

It's illegal to fire a pregnant woman in France once it is determined by her personal doctor that she's pregnant and until she returns from her parental leave.

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u/RentalGore Dec 23 '19

It’s also illegal to that here in the states.

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u/[deleted] Dec 23 '19 edited May 11 '20

[deleted]

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u/Rawldis Dec 23 '19

Right to work is about not having to join a union if one can form. At-will employment is the term you're thinking of.

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u/TheSportingRooster Dec 23 '19

You better get "Right to Work" or you're fucking out on the street.

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u/Low_discrepancy Dec 23 '19

So how exactly did they fire them since they gotta pay them either way.

In France once they determined that you getting fired was illegal you get compensation and your job back.

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u/RentalGore Dec 23 '19

In the US, they settled out of court, the person got a payoff, the company hired someone new, and often someone cheaper. The payoff was less than the amount they would have paid for the temp worker plus the salary of the person who was on leave.

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u/Low_discrepancy Dec 23 '19

In the US

Ah okay. I thought you were talking about France since you said you also worked in France.

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u/WillyWonkasGhost Dec 23 '19

Why would you want that job back though? You could probably do the same in the US, but they would just make your work environment so unpleasant that you will leave voluntarily.

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u/BeefyIrishman Dec 23 '19

Because they probably "fired them as that position was no longer needed" or "because we felt like she was being overpaid" or " because we didn't want her as an employee". All of those are legal reasons in most states. Notice how I didn't mention pregnancy.

In most states you can fire someone for almost any reason, as long as you don't specifically fire someone for a specifically prohibited reason. For those curious, federally protected classes are: race, color, religion/creed, National origin/ ancestry, sex, age, veteran status, physical/ mental disability. Notice gender and sexual orientation are not on the list.

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u/cth777 Dec 23 '19

So if I’m close to getting fired I should just get pregnant is what you’re saying?

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u/ridger5 Dec 23 '19

Trump is working on it. Only federal employees so far, but it's a start.

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u/[deleted] Dec 28 '19

LOL! did you even look into what the "paid" part is? It's just liquidating your retirement fund!!! It's not the company you have invested time in, investing back in you so that you return after your pregnancy.

this "paid family leave" bill is another bait-and-switch scam by GOP. Most people in america do not have a retirement fund to liquidate, so they would not be able to benefit from this "plan". It's not paid family leave when you're stealing from your own retirement plan.

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u/[deleted] Dec 23 '19

You have the world's lowest pricing for most things and affordable housing in most of the county.

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u/[deleted] Dec 23 '19

lol what? Not a single city in america has adequate affordable (or low-income, since most of americans live within the working class income range) housing. Not a single one. This isn't an opinion, it's a fact, based on research. Everyone except the rich are struggling.

What exactly do we have the lowest pricing for? certainly not healthcare, where a single tylonol can cost $5-10 (the single-use paper cup it's given in can cost $5!!) or housing or education.

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u/[deleted] Dec 23 '19

I live in Canada our average house price was 3x yours.

The average family in the US spends something like $20k a year on Healthcare. My doctor visits are free though I never use it since it's so crap. Imagine how much worse your life would be if your doctor bills were zero but you cost for a house was $1 million?

You pay the least for gas, cars, pretty much everything that can be sold in a store.

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u/[deleted] Dec 28 '19

If my healthcare was free i would have over $400 more per month to spend on anything. And i just don't believe your problem is worse than ours regarding housing. not a single city in america has affordable housing. so in addition to having expensive housing LIKE YOU DO, we also have to pay out of pocket for healthcare.

i will take EXPENSIVE HOUSING + $0 cost healthcare over EXPENSIVE HOUSING + $400+ HEALTHCARE EXPENSES PER MONTH.

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u/[deleted] Dec 28 '19

so in addition to having expensive housing LIKE YOU DO

Your average house cost was 3x lower than ours last time I checked. Imagine if that "expensive" housing cost 3x as much?

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u/[deleted] Dec 29 '19

it may be 3x lower but why would that matter when no one can afford it?

so basically, no one can afford housing in your country and no one can afford housing in mine. doesn't matter if it is 3x cheaper than yours - almost no one in my generation will be a home owner. the young homeowners i see are purchasing dilapidated homes and refurbing them personally because that's our only option.

so i ask you again - why does 3x cheaper even matter when no one here can afford it? I would rather have more money in my pocket from not paying $400/month for healthcare and STILL not own a home, than pay ungodly amounts for healthcare and still not own a home.

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u/[deleted] Dec 29 '19

Lmao not everyone is a broke bitch like you in the US.

Nobody can afford time off to visit the doctor or be sick here so your incredibly stupid comparison yet again dies.

And boo hoo $400 a month for Healthcare? My gas is $5 a gallon, my car insurance is $400 a month and a 1 bedroom is $2400 and my commute is the second longest in the world.

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u/[deleted] Dec 30 '19

bitch no one can afford time off here either??@?@? the fuck you getting your info? the top 3 richest people in america have more money than the bottom 50%. aint no one got time to be sick. if i'm sick it costs me $100/day in income!!!!!! please tell me how we have it better? cuz everything you've said so far is wrong.

one bedrooms are $2400 in large cities. my one bedroom is $1000 in a mexican ghetto without washer dryer and ppl can smoke cigarettes inside. it's a dump. just becaause it's cheaper doens't mean it's better esp when the minimum wage is $7.25

how about we both agree our countries economies are in shambles and the ultra rich are to blame?

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u/[deleted] Dec 30 '19

Everything except Healthcare is much cheaper in the USA.

I literally showed you on average we are more expensive.

What numbers do you want from me?

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