'Eat, sleep, work': Indian employee in US raises dangerous impact of working too much after colleague dies alone

Amid rising conversations regarding work life balance, a human capital specialist at World Bank has expressed grief over the death of a colleague, talking about people are being isolated for over 8 hours at work for most of the adult life.

"We lost a colleague this week, or maybe last week, we still don't know. She was the social connector on our floor, one that planned events to make working from office more exciting. She initiated water cooler conversations and was the go-to for many. She was my post-lunch buddy, we often met in the washroom while she brushed her teeth. There are hardly any other colleagues that I know such little things about, but Anne was special," said Somya Bajaj in a post on LinkedIn.

Further talking about her colleague, Bajaj said that Anne replied to emails and messages within minutes or hours, and was in the office everyday. "Something felt amiss when we didn't hear from her for a few days. Her team sent a few people to check and finally the police barged into the found to find the most heartbreaking sight. We still don't know when Anne may have passed away and for how long she may be lying on the floor for, unattended, all alone. They estimate that it may have been at least three," said Bajaj.


"We spend 8 isolated hours at work for most of our adult life, and for many it may be their only social interaction. So many of us live alone, and spend way more than 8 hours at work or thinking about work. When we don't respond to messages or calls, our loved ones and acquaintances write it off thinking we may be busy. Our lives are meant to be so much more than being busy. Anne's loss is a reminder to not take silence as a default "may be busy" response, to care more and beyond just the virtual meetings. To care about the response that follows a formal "how are you" greeting," said Bajaj.

The World Bank employee ended her message by saying that it has been a very expensive reminder on her floor. "We miss you Anne, and sorry that we were not there for you earlier," said Bajaj.