Suicide is often shrouded in silence…
Across the globe, the topic remains taboo—one that people shy away from or, worse, attempt to hide. This silence has cultivated a stigma that masks the reality of suicide as a public health crisis. However, during Suicide Prevention Month, we have an opportunity to confront this issue with the directness it deserves and urgently requires.
Approximately 700,000 people die by suicide each year—a shocking figure—but the challenge is even greater considering that for every death, there are an additional 20 attempts. Suicide ideation is another distinct challenge. Data from Workplace Options (WPO) clinical teams shows that suicide ideation more than doubled from 2018 to 2023. Current projections indicate that 2024 will follow a similarly troubling trajectory.
Given that most people spend a significant portion of their waking hours at work, organizations should act decisively to prevent mental harm. For senior leaders, this is a moral imperative. Supporting the mental health of their teams and people is both the right thing to do and a critical business decision.
A Call to Action: Building a Proactive Culture
The first step for organizations is to recognize that mental health and well-being strategies cannot be sporadic. Addressing suicide prevention must go beyond “one-off” training sessions or awareness campaigns limited to Suicide Prevention Month or World Mental Health Day. Instead, effective suicide prevention requires a holistic approach. For business leaders, this means cultivating a positive organizational culture and ensuring a strong sense of psychological safety, which together create an environment where mental health is protected and prioritized.
Understanding Psychosocial Risks
While the term “psychosocial risk” may not yet be a staple in every boardroom, it is rapidly gaining recognition, especially in workplaces across Australia and Europe. Psychosocial risks encompass elements of the work environment, management practices, or organizational dynamics that increase stress, burnout, anxiety, and depression. These are all factors that significantly elevate suicide risk. If these challenges are not proactively managed by leadership, they can cause serious harm to employees’ mental health.
In contrast, when organizations address psychosocial risks effectively, employees experience greater psychological safety, stronger resilience, and a deeper sense of belonging. A successful approach to mental well-being in the workplace is twofold: it involves cultivating proactive prevention programs to mitigate risk and providing comprehensive support systems that help employees navigate day-to-day challenges at work and home.
Moving from Reactive to Proactive
The best-case scenario occurs when organizations adopt a proactive approach to employee mental and physical health, rather than waiting to react after an employee shows signs of distress or suicidal ideation. This shift from a reactive to a proactive stance fosters an organizational culture centered on psychological safety. Companies can then create a workplace where employees feel empowered to prioritize their mental health without fear of stigma or reprisal.
An additional benefit of building a proactive well-being culture is that it helps dismantle the stigma associated with mental health challenges. Admitting to these struggles can cause immense mental anguish in many cultures. However, organizations have the power to create environments where these admissions are met with understanding, support, and action—rather than judgment.
Transforming a culture is no small undertaking, but it is essential, since workplace culture directly impacts productivity, attendance, creativity, and job satisfaction. These issues also carry into one’s personal life and overall sense of well-being. Employees cannot bring their whole selves to work if they are burdened with unaddressed mental, emotional, or spiritual health issues.
The Role of Senior Leaders
Historically, executives have often left issues of suicide and emotional wellness to external specialists. What we are learning in today’s inclusive leadership environment, though, is just how fully personal and professional lives are intertwined. Forward-thinking organizations and leaders now understand that nurturing a culture of shared values, norms, and assumptions helps employees thrive. The power of a psychologically safe workplace provides the emotional support that leads to greater engagement, life-work integration, and psychological safety.
Employers that create meaningful and robust mental health programs and initiatives are doing their best for their employees and their communities. Moving toward a positive organizational culture is not a one-size-fits-all process. This journey is ongoing, necessitating strategic planning, leadership commitment, and continuous quality improvement. Executives willing to take on this challenge will not only help prevent mental health issues from escalating to a crisis point, but also build a more engaged and productive workforce.
Leading by Example
Prioritizing mental health and modeling healthy behavior at the leadership level sets a tone that resonates throughout the organization. When leaders are approachable, responsive, and open about mental health, they help cultivate a workplace culture where employees feel safe and supported when they reach out for help. Employees are more likely to seek support from a place of strength when they perceive their workplace as psychologically safe.
Suicide Prevention Month provides a valuable platform to start—or reinforce—efforts to address mental health issues. However, it is essential that this awareness leads to sustainable action.
Organizations and leadership teams should regularly assess psychosocial risks, evolve their cultures, and reinforce psychological safety throughout the year. By doing so, they not only help address the suicide crisis, but also create a healthier, more resilient workplace where all employees can thrive.
Every life lost to suicide is one too many. We have the tools and knowledge to address this crisis. Now is the time for senior leaders to act. The well-being of our employees—and by extension, our organizations—depends on it.
