Suicides of two Bank of France employees: what the findings of the internal investigation show

Is the Bank of France responsible for the suicide of two of its employees last June? This Thursday, the institution presented to employees and unions the results of an internal investigation carried out in the wake of these tragedies.

Central bank governor Francois Villeroy de Gallo said he would “take seriously the findings and proposals” of the investigation and “take stock of the results in action” as he introduced an extraordinary meeting of the CSE on the issue.

Late last year, the agency surveyed its agents and held nearly 400 meetings on the issue. Most respondents rate their job satisfaction as good or very good, the usefulness of their mission, the atmosphere, and even their relationships with colleagues and superiors.

Too much load

However, with workload the situation is reversed. More than half of the agents surveyed felt their workload was heavy or too heavy, whether online or in central services. “The findings show that the policy of sharp downsizing (-25% since 2015) has led to worsening workload and mental load of employees, the health consequences of which are regularly highlighted,” the unions responded in a press release.

The Bank of France also presented some concrete improvements in terms of workload: the easing of some administrative tasks, a budget of 50 euros per employee (in the hands of managers) for the “organization of festive events”, an increase in variable remuneration in an envelope…

The Bank of France insists on stabilizing the labor force after the end of 2025. “New employees are the only solution as measures to adapt the workload have not been successful,” the unions responded.

Two suicides of employees working in the fiduciary sector (which issues and collects banknotes and coins) of the Bank of France last year have heightened concerns among the institution’s employees and unions. The suicides occurred in June in people’s homes. One employee who committed suicide wrote about working conditions in a letter explaining his actions.

In the fall, management announced the start of an internal study. The unions initiated another project, which was carried out in parallel by the external company Technologia. Its results will be known by the end of February.