Amazon worker attempts suicide, jumps off company’s 12-storey building

He had apparently sent an e-mail to hundreds of co-workers, including the chief executive officer, before the incident occurred.

In what may apparently be a suicide attempt, an Amazon Inc. employee was injured after jumping off a building at the company’s Seattle headquarters, at about 8:45 a.m. local time on Monday, 29 November. The man wasn’t identified by the authorities, although he had apparently sent an e-mail visible to hundreds of co-workers, including chief executive officer, Jeff Bezos, before taking this extreme step.

The man survived the fall from Amazon’s 12-storey Apollo building and was taken to a Seattle hospital. He had reportedly put in a request for transfer to a different department, but was placed on an employee improvement plan instead — a step that can lead to termination if performance isn’t improved.

In the e-mail, the man criticised the manner in which the company handled his transfer request, and hinted that he might harm himself.

More than 20,000 people work in multiple buildings at Amazon’s headquarters. The company told the media that it is concerned about the recovery of the employee and is ensuring he receives the best care possible for a speedy recovery.

Suicide was the 10th-leading cause of death in the US in 2013, with 41,149 people taking their own lives that year, at a rate of 12.6 per 100,000, according to the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.