Four reasons workplaces should be thinking about the topic of suicide

Most of us are not very comfortable talking about suicide.

Despite the leaps and bounds we’ve made in recent years through conversations around mental health and mental ill health in the workplace, suicide remains one of the last great taboos.

The numbers are staggering. Globally, we are seeing more than 700,000 lives lost to suicide each year. And there are many more people who attempt suicide. Ultimately, as many as one in five of us will experience suicidal thoughts at some point in our lifetime.

And all of this has a huge impact on the people connected to the individual. It’s estimated that a suicide will emotionally injure 15 people immediately around them, and then significantly affect 135 people in their wider network. It’s very likely that this topic will have touched the life of someone you work with right now.

This is something that workplaces struggle to talk about. Samaritans research shows that while 74% of people are comfortable talking with family and friends about mental health and wellbeing, close to half that amount are comfortable talking about suicidal thoughts. They conclude that a stigma still exists around this, and discomfort in discussing it could be contributing to a lack of awareness and understanding of the issue.

Why do we struggle to talk about this at work?

There are many reasons why people might understandably be hesitant to talk about this at work:

• Stigma and taboo – There is a lot of this that still exists when talking about suicide. Language plays a big part here. Some organisations might worry about how clients, staff or the public might perceive them if there are links to suicide in any way.
• Discomfort – Suicide is a very confronting topic. Not everyone is open to discussing this and the emotional toll it can take. Especially for those with lived experience.
• Culturally – We’re simply just not very good at talking about death or dying. Suicide as a self-inflicted, preventable death is avoided even more so.

Why should we try to talk about this at work?

There are also many reasons why we absolutely should be talking about this at work:

• ‍Workplaces are where people connect - For some people, it might be the only place where they regularly interact with other humans in a meaningful way, and is therefore so important in this cause. The idea that “we are simply here to work. It’s none of my business what’s going on in somebody else’s life” is very outdated and so very wrong.
  
  If someone suddenly disappears from the workplace as a result of suicide, that absence will change that workplace forever. The pain and injury a workplace experiences as a result of sudden traumatic loss can change the entire workforce. It affects everybody. The ripple effect is felt far and wide.
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• ‍It’s part of an employer’s duty of care - It is an employer's duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their employees and other people who might be affected by their work activities. Employers must do whatever is reasonably practicable to achieve this, and suicide should absolutely be part of that conversation.
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• ‍It proves your wider commitment to employee’s wellbeing - By taking the topic of suicide seriously, you’re demonstrating to your people that you care about them as people, and have their best interests at heart - which will inevitably help your organisational culture, encouraging both psychological safety and employee retention.
  
  It can also make good business sense. An Oxford University study last year analysed data from 1 million workers at nearly 1,800 publicly listed U.S. companies and found a strong positive correlation between employee wellbeing and a company’s value and profitability. Furthermore, a simulated share portfolio of the 100 companies that scored highest in wellbeing surveys consistently outperformed the main stock market indices; 11% better than the S&P 500 since 2021.
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• ‍Workplace training can really help - Training in suicide awareness and suicide first aid is likely to increase confidence levels and decrease anxiety when thinking about / talking about suicide and / or supporting others. The more we understand, the less afraid we become. It’s resilience building and provides people with a simple but very practical toolbox to help them on their way, whilst also helping to normalise these conversations.
  
  The power of conversation is not to be underestimated. I’ve been delivering mental health awareness training for several years now, and throughout each session I continually remind learners about the importance of conversation. The impact you can have when holding a space for somebody else is massively undervalued.

Here at byrne·dean we can support you on your journey. We offer two comprehensive Suicide First Aid (SFA) training courses both half-day and full day. SFA training can be life saving and/or life changing. If this is something you’d like to explore further, please contact Mark O'Grady or call 020 3695 0474.

If you or anyone you know might be affected by suicide in any way, please contact the following support services:

Samaritans – 116 123

CALM – 0800 58 58 58

Papyrus – 0800 068 41 41

SOBS – 0300 111 5065

September 10 was World Suicide Prevention Day.