[michaelborromeo]

When you have an immovable object (can’t fire an employee due to law) up against an unstoppable force (economic pressure to cut jobs) you get actions that try to bend either of the above constraints.

In the end something had to break — either the company or the people or both.

No one forced these people to either work at the company or to commit suicide.

Yes their pensions were linked to their jobs but is quitting and losing your retirement better than death?

Or maybe they wanted to be martyrs and knew this would lead to a punishment for the executives.

[yborg]

You speak as if the company's executives were compelled by some force to make their workers lives miserable. They also were not forced to remain in their positions and could have chosen to resign (thus saving the company their compensation) rather than engage in immoral actions. That they chose to do so to maintain their own positions and compensation seems worthy of punishment.

[Yoric]

One thing you probably underestimate is that the relationship between employer and employee is very different in France wrt, say, UK/US/Canada.

France has something called "job loyalty." After the ~6 months trial period, a good employee will typically never quit their job, because this would be breaking a bond that is nearly as strong as that of marriage. The employer is, of course, expected to do treat employees as best as possible. If economic pressure forces the employer to lay off people, this is a reality of life, and France has laws that forces the employer to make it happen in a humane manner (i.e. fairly large severance check, among other things).

Here, managers decided to cut out on their side of the deal by employing "placardisation", i.e. bullying people out of their job, i.e. bringing these people to nervous breakdown. But culturally, these people couldn't quit. They could only hope that their managers would be replaced by better managers.

So when you're saying that "No one forced these people to either work at the company or to commit suicide" – well, yes, they were forced because that's how everybody is raised in France.

[adev_]

> So when you're saying that "No one forced these people to either work at the company or to commit suicide" – well, yes, they were forced because that's how everybody is raised in France.

That is very true.

It was even more true in national companies like France Telecom where it was a personal achievement for many to be there.

Often positions in these companies where even family thing, where your family except you to be part of when you are old enough.

[BrandoElFollito]

This is all correct and true, but is also changing, especially in tech.

In other areas this is still very much the case.

[ldng]

They could fire them if they wanted, they'd only had to PAY for it. Harassing was just CHEAPER.