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BTW, does anyone have access to the UK’s public court or police records? It appears there was an investigation and the family/ charity were probably given money in exchange for an NDA. This should be properly publicized.
What was Deloitte supposed to do? Not fire a poor performer? Zoom feels like the most appropriate format in a virtual world if his team wasn’t in-person. 14 minutes sounds like it was enough time for him to get feedback and ask questions.
It’s not deloittes job to figure out this kids mental illness and move mountains to make him happy at the expense of his team.
Again it’s not their job. They should be professional and direct but if someone’s not performing there is absolutely nothing wrong with firing them.
Demonizing the poor person who had to make the hard call helps nobody.
Chief
There something deeply flawed with us humans. Work was just supposed to be mean to all the other ends. Never the end of itself
Chief
M1: yes food is one of those needs.
Pro
This story has been debunked multiple times. Sympathetic to mental health concerns. He was caught working from the offices of PwC, and when asked he said he had friends there. Pretty sure working from the offices of a competitor is a fireable offense.
“It’s not Deloitte’s job to worry…..” . Really?
1. Should Deloitte also not care about P1 if he lost both legs at war (if only…)? By your logic, they shouldn’t have bathrooms for disabled, a wheelchair ramp etc. right?
2. Nick Smith himself admits ‘they would have treated him differently if they knew….’. Who are you to say its not D’s job to worry?!
3. They misled him into thinking he’d be moved up a level, and the meeting was positive. Now that is disingenuous at best!
4. Companies ‘should’ be expected to reflect the behaviour of responsible people. Legally, corporations are called “persons”, and the reason was to transfer consequences of wrongdoing from a manager to an entity. The recent Senior Manager’s regime for banks in the UK is to rectify exactly that, albeit in a different context. Focus on CSR is also a counterbalance.
When a Principal or Partner is let go, an email glorifying the individual’s contributions is written to the whole company. Also, a gratuitous attempt is made to place them elsewhere. Granted a 21yo has a better chance of getting another job, but picking on Netflix, and later redacting it, by itself is sufficient to establish a pre-emptive malicious intent.
I’ve seen enough death, blood, amputations and suicides to know that a cripple is often incapable of reaching out for help. Many of these individuals can be super high-performers, given the right environment, which in this case would be basic psychological safety, and a gratuitous attempt to place the kid somewhere.
I don’t pity the guy or his family, nor do I expect Deloitte to act like a charity. Trust me, I’ve been stiffed by junior staff many times. A typical example is a partner’s favorite - what can you do? You sit up all night correcting their work, because your neck is on the line.
What I am shocked at is the lack of empathy, where the outcome is devastating, with a high probability of the cause being a company’s nefarious actions.
Who keeps posting this story? It’s like the third or fourth time I’ve seen it on here.
Very tragic story, but the below is also stated in the article. He was clearly going through a lot, even before Deloitte fired him.
“Complaints included him watching Netflix at work – although this was later clarified it was during a lunch break – and that he was working from the offices of rival company Price Waterhouse Cooper during lockdown, because he had friends who worked there.”
Pro
For reference, this happened about a year ago (had been in a vegetative state since then). Also, his family knew he had a past history of suicidal tendencies and D denies knowledge of this (who knows the truth). It really sounds like there was a lack of family support during a time he needed it most.
Not trying to defend D, but we all know companies don’t care about people. That is what friends and family are for.
I feel very sad for him and his family. He clearly suffered with mental health issues and did not have appropriate coping mechanisms.
Reading the article, Deloitte did nothing wrong. He was not performing well and was exhibiting questionable behavior for a working professional. Being on a PIP is a courtesy and more of a legal maneuver than anything (which was suggested but never implemented). Your employer has the right to fire you at any point, that’s why we are at will employees. In a virtual environment zoom is an appropriate way to fire someone. It also sounds like they had given him an opportunity during the call to give an explanation for his poor performance and then the call ended. They then restarted the call and he was terminated. Just makes me wonder what he said to them? Maybe they weren’t intending to fire him outright but their conversation indicated it was necessary? I feel for his family and understand wanting to blame someone as his death was a senseless tragedy but if he was willing to go to this extreme over being fired he likely would not have been able to handle a lot of the stresses that life was going to bring.
Yo P1 Chief, you’ve dodged the Taliban and ‘better’, go on- identify yourself? Nobody can hurt you, good men have tried and failed. You’ve also heard how ‘any publicity is good publicity’!
Holy
This seems suspicious. He may have had “problems”.
This is more common than you think, sadly. Just in MBB firms and offices I’ve worked in, I know of one person who jumped to her death off the office terrace in Dallas and another who jumped to her death from her hotel while on a business trip in London.
If anyone poses a threat to themselves, it puts their co-workers in danger and termination should be considered for their safety and that of their co-workers
Who said he was a poor performer? He was watching Netflix- later clarified as lunch. Working in PwC office is a different matter, but how did he even get in? That also reflects badly on PwC’s security.
Also, mental health, assume it became known given his history of public campaigning, was probably the reason they retaliated.
On balance of probability, give him the benefit of doubt. Catch Nick Smith and Ranvir Rai and twist their necks.
SM 1, dont embarrass yourself, you clown! You’re the monkey I’d love to have in my circus 🤡 🙉. The context is really sad, but this converation is getting more interesting! An ex-footsoldier Principal, an SM monkey, morons and several dimwits so far. I’d be hard-pressed to find so many freaks of nature in the same place.
You have never thought about how this is a risk every time you have to exit someone?