Findley Montgomery and Kacy Maitland
A person’s profession can significantly affect their risk for suicide, and employers and managers in high-risk fields like transportation, construction, veterinary care, and emergency response have an important role to play in mitigating suicide risk and cultivating better mental health in the workplace.
In this blog, members of the Samaritans team share common questions we hear from employers and our advice on best practices to prevent suicide and cultivate mental health in the workplace.
Q: What signs should I look for that an employee may be struggling?
Your employee may show signs of distress in different ways, such as:
- Exhibiting big behavioral shifts, such as changes in hygiene, eating, sleeping, fatigue, or use of alcohol or other drugs.
- Engaging in risk-seeking behavior, like gambling and/or physically dangerous activities.
- Withdrawing from activities and isolating.
- Increased irritability, disorganization, or lack of effort.
- Making direct statements that reference suicide or despair (e.g., “I don’t think there’s any point in continuing,” “I feel like a burden,” “Things would be better if I weren’t in the picture.”).
It’s important to look at all of these behaviors in relation to what is typical for the individual.
Q: How can I support an employee after they’ve witnessed something traumatic?
In some workplaces, it’s fairly common to encounter traumatic events, including injury or death. While there may be a workplace culture that says “we’re used to this; we get over it,” all humans have a psychological response to trauma, whether or not it’s discussed, and exposure to trauma is strongly linked to a person’s risk for suicide. It’s important, then, to acknowledge when an employee or colleague has experienced something difficult and to make sure they have the resources they need to process and repair their mental health.
Here is what we recommend:
- Leave judgement at the door.. Treat the employee as a human, first. Support them by actively listening.
- Follow their lead. Your colleague may be shell-shocked initially. Ask: How are you doing? How can I help?
- Validate their experience. Experiencing something traumatic is difficult, acknowledge that.
- Encourage them to take advantage of available resources, like the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and behavioral benefits through your group insurance program or Employee Assistance Program.
- Keep checking in. Healing doesn’t follow a timeline. It may be a few days or weeks before your colleague feels the full impact of what they’ve witnessed. Let them know you’re there for them when they’re ready.
Q: What steps should I take if I think an employee or colleague may be suicidal?
Supporting a colleague who may be suicidal requires the same direct approach and active listening techniques that you would use with anyone else in crisis.
In the workplace, you can take the additional step of making sure that your colleague or employee is aware of mental health benefits available through your workplace’s Employee Assistance Program or group health insurance program. You can also encourage them to take an online mental health screening, such as these tests provided by Mental Health America.
Q: How can I support suicide prevention and better mental health in the workspace?
Employers, workplace supervisors, and human resource teams can implement several important systems to prevent suicide in the workplace:
- Share resources: Make sure your teams know how to access behavioral and mental health services through your workplace’s insurance provider or Employee Assistance Program. Post 988 Lifeline information in visible locations in the workplace, such as the breakroom or restrooms.
- Cultivate community and connection. Human connection goes a long way in building mental health. Create opportunities for employees to connect with one another because there is so much value in peer support.
- Break the stigma. In many professions, there is a cultural stigma around talking about emotions and asking for help. You can help shift the culture by speaking openly about mental health and by bringing in external groups to lead workshops and moderate discussions on relevant topics.
- Set boundaries. Model healthy work/life boundaries. Make sure your employees know it’s OK to speak up if they feel overloaded and that it’s healthy and expected to take breaks.
- Address loss. In some industries, workers are more likely to experience suicide loss than the general public. These events can have a big impact on mental health. If a loss has occurred in your workplace–or if employees have witnessed a suicide death–bring in experts, like Samaritans, for postvention processing and grief support.
- Invest in mental health. Encourage employees to take mental health days, and invest in a group insurance policy that includes behavioral health benefits.
