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.
