Conversations about suicide in the workplace

There are many people who would think (even if they don’t say it) that work is no place to talk about suicide.  I disagree.

Suicide is devastating and the reasons for it are complicated and can be difficult for people to understand, but this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.  Suicide is preventable. As a Mental Health Advocate at PwC and also a Samaritans listening volunteer, I know that these conversations aren’t easy; but if you want a culture that gives people permission to talk about what is going on in their life, then you have to be prepared to talk about anything — or better put, be available to listen to anything.  

My experience is that if you give that permission in a meaningful way then people will talk.  I’ve had people tell me they’ve had or are having suicidal thoughts and I like to think that as an organisation we’ve then been able to get them the support that they needed before they may have become overwhelmed.  These conversations are unfortunately more common than you would think.

This isn’t about workplaces training people to be therapists or counsellors, there are professionals who can and should take that role. It’s about preparing people for a conversation that may happen and making sure they can signpost to someone qualified to help, be it a workplace support scheme a GP or A&E — it can make a world of difference.

As this years World Mental Health Day focuses on suicide prevention I’d encourage everyone to think about what you’d do if someone told you they were having suicidal thoughts. If you can’t answer that, then the Wellbeing in the Workplace online learning tool developed by the Samaritans with the support of The Lord Mayor’s Appeal and PwC is there to help and free to all UK workplaces.