Investing in fostering the mental wellbeing of employees reaps several benefits for businesses – including but not limited to – financial strength, socioeconomical benefits, and heightened employee productivity, resilience, and work ethic. However, as of a recent report conducted by Champion Health (Bliss, 2023), 60 percent of employees have been struggling with anxiety and 56 percent are struggling with depressive symptoms. Furthermore, the statistics for 2023 reveal that 9 percent of employees experience thoughts around self-harm and suicidal ideation – an increase from the reported 8 percent in 2022. Compounding the report by Champions Health, a study conducted by UCL (2023) reveals that 1 in 10 employees working in the NHS experience increased thoughts around self-harm and suicidality. These figures highlight the vitality of noticing, addressing, and implementing appropriate action plans for individuals struggling with their mental health before the decline in psychological wellbeing escalates.

One of the most devastating outcomes of poor mental wellbeing is the risk of suicide, with the World Health Organization (2014) reporting an estimated 800,000 individuals losing their life to suicide – hence, it has become increasingly important for workplaces to integrate processes and procedures to support their employees. Relevant literature within the field reveals that providing employees autonomy within their work-related duties, providing incentives for career development, integrating rewards and bonuses, and training managers to maintain healthy relationships with their employees, can lessen the risk of poor mental health, thus mitigating the risk of suicidality (Tsutsumi & Kawakami, 2004). The impact of losing a colleague has overarching consequences on the entire organisation, thus emphasising the importance of increasing awareness to recognise signs of mental health decline. Throughout the years, there has been an increased need to develop suicide prevention strategies within the workplace, yet discussions around this topic seem to be scarce within the literature and the wider community (Milner, Page & LaMontagne, 2014).

The first step in responding to the risk of suicide within the workplace is identifying the decline in an employee’s mental wellbeing. This may prove to be difficult – as signs of psychological suffering are often subtle and can go unrecognised. Often, employees may show changes in performance, behaviour, increased isolation from other team members, lack of productivity, fluctuations in mood during the workday, substance abuse, and verbalisation of feelings of loneliness. It is worth noting that while not all changes in mental wellbeing are associated with the potential risk of self-harm and suicide, worsening of an individual’s mental wellbeing can lead to thoughts revolving around this risk. Often, individuals are less likely to be vocal around their struggles, however, with a heightened awareness and alertness, employers can be better equipped to recognise and respond to worsening mental health and potential risk of harm.

Usually, an employee’s first point of contact when facing any form of difficulty is their manager. This gives rise to the question: how can managers be equipped to notice, and appropriately respond, to the risk of suicide? Research has generally shown that managers may face discomfort while addressing employee mental health, resulting in a lack of awareness, knowledge, and support within an organisation (O’Brien, Galavan & O’Shea, 2022). This may be as conversations around mental wellbeing, particularly suicidal ideation, remain stigmatised. For many, engaging in conversations around risk, especially regarding mental health, is daunting – and managers are no exceptions. The first step in equipping managers to respond to risk around suicide within the workplace is by providing them with the appropriate psychoeducation, along with a safe space to disclose their own concerns, worries, and inquiries around the topic. For managers to be able to notice and address risk within their teams, it is essential they find comfort in maintaining and holding sensitive and difficult conversations with their employees (O’Brien, Galavan & O’Shea, 2022).

It may be beneficial to normalise the type of language and communication styles to use when addressing risk related to suicide. Managers may benefit from training in communicating in an open-ended manner, to inquire with genuine interest, and to understand the cause of distress. Individuals often struggle with addressing suicidal risk directly due to the fear that it may further instigate risk. It may be beneficial to help managers become comfortable in asking questions around risk directly – as research has noted that inquiring around suicidal risk directly may in fact lessen rather than increase suicidal ideation (Dazzi et al., 2014). Further information on appropriate use of language when addressing suicidal risk can be found through the Centre for Suicide Prevention (2022).

Once equipped with the appropriate knowledge around suicidality, it is essential for managers to build strong interpersonal relationships with their employees and foster a healthy rapport – consequently enabling employees to comfortably disclose their struggles. The study by O’Brien, Galavan and O’Shea (2022) noted that for managers to notice detrimental changes in behavior – a potential sign of poor mental-health – they need to be aware of the baseline behaviors of their employees. This awareness is only achievable if managers prioritise time to engage in regular check-ins, work related or otherwise and develop rapport with their employees. If a rapport is not developed, it can lead to difficulties in noticing warning signs of poor mental wellbeing. Moreover, an increase in the social support provided may help mitigate the risk of suicide.

Usually, once an employee is able to have a suitable conversation with their manager, they often need their managers to help alleviate issues within the workplace rather than provide professional psychological support (Dobson et al., 2018). O’Brien, Galavan and O’Shea’s (2022) study reveals that managers, who were assessed on their capabilities to respond to risk of suicide within the workplace, stated that flexibility is necessary in all areas of problem solving. It is important to note that managers should not feel pressured to be an employee’s only point of support, however, they can play a pivotal role in signposting employees towards the most appropriate care. Hence, managers should aim to provide the appropriate resources and employ solutions which may reduce the employees’ struggle (ACAS, 2023). For instance, employers can take proactive steps to ensure that the mental health benefits provided by the company are easily accessible to their employees. Often, employees are unaware of the benefits provided by the company, and face difficulty accessing programmes such as their Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). Additionally, managers can signpost employees to their GP’s or third-party mental health aid – such as the Samaritans Helpline. Assuring employees that the necessary support is in place if needed may in itself be a protective factor against the decline in mental wellbeing.

In conclusion, it is important for organisations to maintain healthy workplace environments to sustain the overall wellbeing of employees. Research conducted across various workplaces has demonstrated the harm caused by the negligence of an employee’s wellbeing. Managers have been shown to be the most accessible form of contact for addressing difficulties faced in the workplace by employees. When managers are provided with adequate psychoeducation, training, and tools to develop care strategies to support employees strained by deteriorating mental health, they not only become equipped to respond to suicide risk, but also to mitigate suicide risk within the workplace.