Over 65,000 Australians attempt suicide every year.
Most working people spend more time at work than they do with their families. When the workplace is working well it gives a sense of purpose and wellbeing, however when work becomes a burden, stressful and overwhelming it has the potential to negatively impact a persons mental health. Many workplaces provide EAP programs and peer support but in some instances this may not suffice. We know that suicidal thoughts are often invisible to employers and they may assume it won’t happen in their workplace – until it does. Recent awareness of the impact of suicide on families, friends and work colleagues has resulted in many workplaces shifting their thoughts from ‘we don’t need this’ ‘this is not our concern’ to making suicide prevention a part of their workplace health and safety policy.
What’s the solution?
Engaging in workplace suicide safety training will educate your employees to go beyond asking if someone is OK, to exploring if someone may be considering suicide as an option. Educating staff in this area will help workplaces prevent suicide and will support employees facing a suicide crisis.
What we know from past experiences is that you don’t need to have a University degree, be a professional or have a mental health background to support someone going through a tough time. You just have to be brave enough to have the challenging conversation about suicide.
Learning the skills and the tools
Our workplace one day suicide intervention program provides employees with the skills and tools to have this conversation, and provide a safety net for the person, keeping them safe from suicide. Our program, CALM, has recently been accredited by QIP from Australia’s peak body, Suicide Prevention Australia.
If you would like to know more about the work we are doing to keep workplaces suicide safe please reach out and contact us.
