Human Resources News & Insights

The ultimate case of an employee going unnoticed

Lots of employees say their work goes unnoticed by supervisors and co-workers. This case takes that scenario to its absurd — not to say chilling — conclusion.

According to a story on newsfeed.time.com, a 51-year-old woman who worked for Los Angeles County died in her cubicle — and nobody noticed until the next day.

Sounds impossible, but it’s apparently true.

Rebecca Wells, who worked in risk management, was in the middle of an audit when she died last Friday, the story said. Her body was apparently discovered on Saturday.

Cause of death wasn’t immediately known. But one of her co-workers was quoted as saying,  “She was always working, always working.”

Could be a lesson there.

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  • ro

    wow

  • KH

    You know what the worst of it is? As far as I have heard.. no family or friends reported her missing… Please, please, please don’t ever let someone you know go unnoticed like this! Very sad indeed..

    And didn’t they have a cleaning crew come on Friday night? Wouldn’t they have noticed?

  • http://www.monogramsystems.com Jeanette

    It is very sad. Reminds me of “Eleanor Rigby”. Should be a wakeup call to every one of us that there is more to life than work and relationships matter.

  • MMAN

    Sad. Sad indeed.

  • HR Annie

    I am speechless

  • PO’d HR Guy

    Her co-workers were probably in such a frenzy to get the heck out on a Friday no one noticed she was still in her cube. How sad. It would be interesting to know when she died. 4pm is one thing; 9am would be something else altogether. Most companies where I have worked have a policy whereby the last person out has to be sure the area is clear – e.g. no one is left in an office or a restroom.
    KH – on weekends, cleaning crews often don’t come in until Saturday.