Understanding suicide prevention at work: Why words matter

According to Sarah McIntosh, all employers are responsible for educating their employees on suicide prevention and the changes in language.

Last Month, the Office for National Statistics published data showing that suicide rates in England & Wales reached their highest levels since 1999.

This is a reminder that we are all responsible for preventing suicides in the workplace, and the wider society.

In the last decade, conversations about mental health have progressed significantly. More people are now openly sharing their experiences with poor mental health. The stigma surrounding suicide still prevents life-saving conversations from happening.

Suicide is a sensitive topic. While it is important that it be discussed in the workplace appropriately, many people are unaware of the correct words and phrases.

, a research released by MHFA England in advance of World Suicide Prevention Day (September 10), showed that two thirds of employees still use harmful terms like “committed suicide”.

This expression is outdated, damaging and comes from an era when suicide was not legal. This expression can be used to blame and create stigma. The phrase “died by suicide” has a more positive connotation.

The research also showed that only 10% of employees knew the best way to help someone who is contemplating suicide was to ask directly if the person has thoughts of suicide, and if yes, to find out if the person has a plan for ending their life.

Simple, direct questions on suicide can help you identify the risk of suicide and how to act.

Up to 650 suicides per year in the UK may be related to work – that’s about 10% of all suicides.

Employers have a vital role to play in normalising suicide and educating their employees on how to talk about it.

Three ways to help those who are suicidal.

It can be hard to know where to begin as an employer. However, there are important steps that you can take in order to put plans into place to support people who have thoughts of suicide or those who have been affected by suicide.

1) Establish the foundations in your mental health strategy. Many organisations do important things to support mental health and well-being of their employees. Suicide prevention can be embedded by building on an existing wellbeing plan that meets the needs of both your people and business.

We can create an environment that encourages lifesaving conversations on suicide by creating a psychologically safe culture where productivity and wellbeing go hand-in-hand.

Many factors contribute to the culture of a company. Good job design, positive and strong leadership, equitably recognizing and rewarding staff, and taking proactive steps to reduce the risk of stress at work are all important.

Encourage conversations about mental health. The stigma surrounding suicide prevention is still present in even the most progressive organizations.

It is not always easy to initiate a conversation, but MHFA England offers training and resources that help people recognize the signs of poor health mental and how to refer to professionals.

We can normalise suicide by encouraging regular one-to-one conversations about well-being.

We offer free resources like ‘Suicide. Let’s talk provides advice on how you can support someone who is experiencing suicidal feelings or thoughts if they disclose this to you in a 1-to-1. This information will help to make everyone feel more confident and comfortable when discussing suicide at work, breaking the taboo.

Managers play an important role in fostering this open culture. However, they must be provided with the proper tools, training, and time for them to manage well.

According to our research, most managers (75%) are aware that it is their responsibility to take action on mental health but don’t really know how.

A third of managers feel they are out of their element when it comes to supporting their teams with mental health issues. Building an effective team requires managers to receive the appropriate training that will help them maintain their mental health and support others.

Have support available. Have conversations that are supportive about mental health and suicide prevention. This can help to reduce the stigma and silence surrounding suicide, and encourage people who may be considering suicide to reach out for support.

Your people must know how to help their colleagues.

We can save more lives by being proactive if someone we know is having mental health issues or has thoughts of suicide.

If you can, let people know what support is available. This could be a mental first aider or an employee assistance program.

Even if someone has thoughts of suicide and doesn’t plan to take their own life, they should be encouraged to contact Samaritans by calling 116 123 or texting ‘SHOUT!’ to 85258. They can also call Hopeline247 at 0800 068 41141, call 111 and select mental health to speak with a mental health professional. Dial 999 if someone is in immediate danger of suicide or has injured themselves.

The ripple effect of suicide

It is estimated that for every suicide, 135 other people will be impacted.

Research shows that people who have lost someone to suicide are more likely to think about suicide and to take action. There must be plans in place for people who have been affected by suicide.

Postvention support refers to the activities and interventions provided to those affected by suicide. Postvention is an important part of a suicide prevention strategy. A plan should be in place for if a workplace or a worker in that workplace is bereaved due to suicide. The new guide by SOM could also be useful in this context.

Support After Suicide Partnership also has many resources that can help organisations adopt best practices in suicide bereavement.

Suicide is a serious issue in any workplace. All organisations are responsible for ensuring that the right support is provided to avoid lives being lost.