France probes worker conditions after two suicides, multiple attempts from gov't employees - report

France has reportedly launched judicial and internal investigations into the working conditions within the Prime Minister's Service (SPM) following two employee suicides and multiple suicide attempts in recent months. The SPM, which houses numerous government bodies at the Hôtel Matignon, has faced scrutiny after labor unions raised concerns in early June.

Following union meetings with SPM leadership, an internal investigation into a previously stalled suicide attempt case was approved. The SPM also committed to broader investigations into risks across all its offices, to be conducted by an external firm over the coming months. A staff representative stated the goal is to "restart a healthy dynamic for everyone."

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All we want is to restart a healthy dynamic for everyone.

Concerns were formally raised in June through a complaint filed under Article 40 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which mandates reporting knowledge of a crime. The complaint, filed after an employee named Laura (a pseudonym) attempted suicide in April, alleges "exceptionally serious issues" regarding workplace conditions.

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my client was made invisible. She was no longer invited to meetings, she was removed from the organizational chart, she was nothing anymore. She was mocked, jeered at as if in schoolyard bullying, ostracized.

Laura's lawyer described her experience as being "made invisible," excluded from meetings, removed from organizational charts, mocked, and ostracized, eventually being assigned a basement office. Despite an internal audit confirming "severe workplace suffering," the only offered solution was for Laura to leave the department. Her lawyer criticized the administration's inaction, stating that warning signs are often ignored until they result in harm.

Reports indicate Laura's situation is not isolated, with similar issues reportedly affecting employees in other directorates within the SPM. The investigations aim to address systemic problems contributing to severe workplace distress among government employees.

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Ultimately, the problem becomes her. She ended up in a situation typical of what we usually see in public administrations: nothing happened even though all of this was well known. All these warning signs are never heeded, never prioritized, and then they explode into public view with harm to people's physical integrity.