The tragic reality of death by suicide within workplaces is a sensitive and sobering issue. The World Health Organization reported in March that more than 720,000 people die due to suicide every year, and suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15- to 29-year-olds. Statistics Canada estimates that around 4,500 Canadians take their lives annually—about 12 per day—and nearly 200 attempt suicide.
It can be confusing for many how common it is to experience fleeting thoughts of suicide when under pressure, particularly when faced with overwhelming pain. These thoughts may emerge briefly for some but then fade away.
Unfortunately, without proper awareness and education about how to cope with these feelings—and without access to available resources such as employer support options or community services like the 9-8-8 crisis line—individuals may feel compelled to remain silent about their struggles. This silence can lead to feelings of hopelessness, resulting in tragic outcomes. It’s crucial to foster open discussions and ensure that employees know where to turn for help to address suicidal thoughts before they escalate.
Many employees may be silently grappling with mental health challenges, life stresses, and overwhelming pressure from work and personal circumstances on any given day. While workplace mental health initiatives and psychologically safe programming are becoming more common, conversations too often dance around the complex subject of suicide.
Even employers with the most comprehensive mental health programs—providing prevention and education on suicide—can be dramatically impacted by the news of an employee having died by suicide. When the unthinkable occurs and a colleague takes their own life, it can have a devastating impact on the team and the entire organization.
The reality of death by suicide’s impact on peers
Death by suicide is a pressing mental health crisis that affects victims’ peers. When an employee dies by suicide, ripples of grief, guilt (e.g., “What did I miss?”), and confusion can significantly affect their colleagues, undermining morale, productivity, and team cohesion. A recent study reported that exposure to a peer who has died by suicide can increase suicidal thoughts and behaviours among co-workers, making it imperative that employers are prepared to respond effectively in such tragic scenarios.
Employers must understand and prepare for the nuances of this issue—because the wrong time to prepare for a crisis is when you’re in it. The root causes of death by suicide are multifaceted and can stem from intertwined factors, including mental health disorders, life situations, and workplace environments.
While the focus on prevention is paramount, organizations must ensure they have robust, crisis-ready workplace strategies to support employees at risk of suicide and to help a workforce deal with the aftermath of such a loss.
Preventive measures: Creating a safety net
An action plan to prevent a workplace crisis resulting from suicide can help mitigate the effects when a colleague takes their life:
Comprehensive mental health programs: Employers should develop and maintain robust workplace mental health or psychological safety programs that create openness around preventing and supporting mental health concerns. Awareness training can help employees recognize the signs of mental distress in themselves and others. It fosters a supportive environment where help-seeking behaviours are normalized and pathways to help are understood. A part of this program is having access to mental health professionals through an employee and family assistance program, benefits, local community resources, and crisis lines like 9-8-8.
Regular training and workshops: Employers should offer periodic mental health training sessions and teach employees about suicide ideation, risk factors, warning signs, and coping strategies, including help-seeking behaviours. These workshops should include strategies for approaching a colleague whom workers are concerned about, the importance of developing empathy and active listening skills, and encouraging peers at risk to get professional help.
Stigma reduction campaigns: Employers can initiate mental health campaigns that offer training on addictive disorders and suicide to reduce the stigma associated with mental health concerns. Such programs normalize and encourage employees to ask for mental health help, just as they would a medical appointment for a sore knee causing chronic pain and discomfort. This advice can include sharing employees’ testimonials, encouraging discussions, and providing resources for help. The more open and supportive the environment, the more likely individuals will seek assistance. Talking about suicide risk does not make it worse—it can be a lifeline and save lives.
Supporting employees after a tragedy
The immediate response to a death by suicide is crucial for the grieving team’s recovery. Here’s how employers can effectively support their workforces:
Open communication channels: Communicate with employees truthfully and compassionately about the death. Offering a space for open discussions can mitigate feelings of isolation and confusion, and providing information about available support services will ensure employees know where to turn for help. Grief counsellors on site can help employees who are emotionally overwhelmed by the news and want someone to talk to.
Communicate all the available support programs: Do not assume. Ensure employees know about all the supports available and how to access a grief peer support group or counselling service following the loss of a colleague. Use a Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) approach and check in with employees via random audits to assess their awareness of existing mental health supports.
Offer flexible work arrangements: Recognize that some employees may require time to grieve. Offering flexible work arrangements, such as remote work options, increased time off, or lighter workloads, can help accommodate individual needs during a challenging time. Try to put as much humanity as possible into this tragic experience and understand that not every person will be impacted the same. Be compassionate.
Facilitate professional support: Ensure leaders are trained and understand how to refer and encourage—without pushing—employees to access professional mental health assistance by providing resources such as employee assistance programs, access to counselling services, and mental health hotlines. Leaders can help teams cope with the loss while caring for themselves, accessing support if needed, and reducing stigma by sharing that they sought help.
Regular check-ins: After a tragedy, management should check in with teams and individuals to offer support and remind them of the available resources. This demonstrates genuine care and concern for employees’ well-being, fostering a supportive work culture.
PDCA review: Following any tragic event, once the emotions and intensity of the loss have stabilized, HR and OHS should consider if anything could have been done to prevent it. A tragic precedent in France involved work-related stress directly linked to death by suicide that resulted in a CEO being criminally charged. Conduct a review to look for any potentially work-related root causes and psychosocial hazards creating or contributing to mental harm. If any are found, act immediately to address them.
The importance of being prepared
Being prepared for potential crises is fundamental for any organization. A crisis response plan addressing mental health crises—including suicide—can provide a roadmap for how to proceed and ensure that the response is sensitive and informed. Designating and training individuals to be crisis-ready can help ensure team members are equipped to handle difficult mental health situations.
While it is impossible to prevent every tragedy, proactive preparation and responsive support can mitigate the impact in the workplace of a death by suicide. By fostering an environment of openness, ensuring access to mental health resources, and developing crisis-ready response plans, employers can create a supportive workplace culture that protects their workforces from mental harm and promotes mental well-being.
When equipped with the right tools and knowledge, employers can turn the conversation around mental health into one of action, resilience, and community support.
