It has been reported nationally that Citi’s Tampa campus was the scene of a shooting yesterday that left two people dead: a Citi employee and the shooter.
I want to share that Citi’s internal response to this tragedy has been embarrassing at best and inexcusable at worst.
First, it took hours for the company to communicate with employees about what had happened. Employees were hearing about the shooting from people outside the firm before receiving any internal communication. Not even managers with employees working at the Tampa campus were informed that there was an emergency. Does Citi lack the internal data necessary to identify and notify managers with employees at an affected location? Who knows. But the failure to communicate during a potentially life-threatening situation raises serious questions.
Second, Fraser’s email at the end of the day expressing sympathy and assuring employees that the company cared about them rang particularly hollow given that employees were reportedly instructed to return to campus almost immediately. LinkedIn is already filled with comments criticizing Citi’s treatment of its employees. Apparently, even a tragedy isn’t enough to warrant a little compassion.
Third, there are claims circulating that the shooter had a grievance against Citi involving a disputed $2,600 credit card dispute for which the company might have sued him. I have no idea whether this is accurate or what the circumstances were. But don’t most financial institutions write off relatively small debts rather than pursue litigation? And if there was an ongoing dispute, what, if anything, did Citi know about the individual before yesterday?
All of this is to say that there’s a reason this site has accumulated more than 450+ stories, the majority involving Citi. The recurring theme is an institution that is incapable of treating its employees with basic dignity, even when circumstances demand it most.