It was an amazing Amazon experience, when an employee sent emails to hundreds of colleagues, including CEO Jeff Bezos. He then jumped from a building at the company's headquarters in Seattle, Monday morning.
An inside source said that the employee, who was one of 20,000 workers in a number of buildings at the Amazon campus, had requested that he should be transferred to a different department.
Instead, he had been placed on an 'employee improvement plan.' This is usually seen as the initial step towards getting fired.
Upset with Amazon's handling of his transfer request, the employee sent out a hint that he was going to harm himself, said the source.
The details were given later by a police spokesman. He narrated that the employee had sprung from a high pedestal four stories up on the 12-story building, but he fell just 20 feet onto a balcony. "Our thoughts are with our colleague as he continues to recover," Amazon said. "He's receiving some of the best care possible and we will be there to support him throughout the recovery process."
Last month, New York Times had written a critical article, reporting that Bezos had created a "soulless, dystopian workplace where no fun is had and no laughter heard." However, Bezos denied it quickly.
In the US, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death. In 2013, 41,149 people killed themselves, at a rate of 12.6 per 100,000, explains the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
You don't want to add to that number, do you? If you or someone you know is thinking of it, call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.
