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Smart phones blamed for increase of suicide

by on25 September 2009

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Bosses strange claim


The boss of a top telco claims that smartphones are responsible of an increase in the number of suicides at his company. France Telecom chief financial officer Gervais Pellissier warned that the barrage of emails from smartphones and personal computers was stressing out employees.

France Telecom has been dubbed suicide central after 22 workers committed suicide and another 13 attempted to kill themselves since the start of last year. The outfit employs 100,000 people in France.

It claims it was no higher than the national average, which was 16 deaths per 100,000 in 2006.But unions are demanding a parliamentary inquiry into the deaths, which they blame on stress linked to massive restructuring at the company.

Pellissier said an average employee in a big corporation 15 years ago, you had no mobile phone or no PC at home. When you were back home, work was out, he said.Now that was no longer the case with Blackberry's blasting email at you
24/7.

Last modified on 25 September 2009
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