Many workplaces are affected by the suicide death of an employee each year, especially considering that a large number of people who die by suicide are working-age adults. Even the suicide deaths of recently terminated employees can have a significant impact on their previous workplaces. The loss of a leader within an organization can cause chaos and trauma. Moreover, suicide deaths of family members, vendors, clients, and associates can also affect employees. Unfortunately, most workplaces are not prepared to respond to such deaths. Common models of grief and bereavement support often focus on returning to work quickly rather than providing meaningful support. It is crucial for workplaces to understand grief, trauma, and suicide contagion and develop effective strategies for supporting employees in the aftermath of a suicide death.
In this interview, I speak with suicide loss survivors Robert and Terri Bogue about workplace suicide grief and trauma and survivor guilt. They share these three tips:
Acknowledge survivor guilt. Address suicide directly -if someone talks about wanting to die, not wanting to be here, or gives away their prized things. – That’s all you can do. You’re not responsible for their decisions.
Meet people where they are in their grief. What do you do when families don’t want the employee’s death discussed as a suicide? Everyone grieves differently. They experience trauma differently. You can’t prescribe how they’ll grieve.
Actively build community after a loss. People will feel the loss of relationship. Create opportunities for them to fill that space.
About Robert & Terri Bogue
Robert and Terri bring a unique mix of energy, compassion, and innovation to the stage. Robert has over 30 years’ experience in technology and organizational change. Terri has over 30 years as a nurse and clinical nurse specialist in a variety of acute care roles. With seven children, they’ve developed a unique way of helping organizations and individuals be successful in resolving conflict, eliminating burnout, increasing engagement, and cultivating innovation. You’ve never seen a presentation with greater interactivity as the Bogues play off of each other and build understanding of the material through laughter, interaction, and occasionally tears of joy.
Show Notes
About the Bogues’ Work
For more information on understanding suicide, take a look at some of the books the Bogues have read and research they have done:: https://confidentchangemanagement.com
If you’re struggling with burnout, they’ve made the Extinguish Burnout online course free for everyone. Register here: https://extinguishburnout.com/get-the-course/
About Suicide Grief
About the Oscillating Process of Grief: https://www.lovetoknow.com/life/grief-loss/dual-process-model-grief-simple-terms
Workplace Suicide Postvention: https://www.sallyspencerthomas.com/dr-sally-speaks-blog/2019/7/11/workplaces-coping-with-the-trauma-and-grief-of-suicide
“Manager’s Guide to Suicide Postvention” https://workplacesuicideprevention.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/managers-guidebook-to-suicide-postvention-web.pdf
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