Responding to suicide risk in the workplace

Suicidal thoughts are far more common than many people think, but there can be extensive stigma in talking about suicide. Too few employers have frameworks that encourage the kind of climate where people can talk to someone about suicide and find ways to seek help. Most managers and employees have never received education or training to deal with a situation where someone discloses suicidal feelings.

This guide aims to address that gap by providing practical advice and guidance for how organisations can educate their workforce and open up the culture to talk about suicide. This should be embedded as part of an organisation’s wider approach to promoting good mental health.

By creating a non-stigmatising culture and a safe space to talk, employers can have an important role in signposting people to the right sort of professional support.

The guides offer advice on:

• Why suicide is a workplace issue
• Understanding suicide
• Creating a supportive and positive culture for mental health
• Responding to suicide risk
• Support after suicide

There is also a case study from PwC on how their approach to embedding suicide prevention at work.

Guide for people professionals

This guide is designed as a useful professional resource for people professionals.

Download the guide

Line manager guide

We have also published an accompanying, shorter guide for line managers, to be used alongside the guide for people professionals.

Download the line manager guide

Please note that we are not providing occupational health or legal advice, but rather practical guidance to best support people at times of difficulty. 

An employer should embed its response to suicide risk in its wider mental health framework. Therefore this guide should be read in conjunction with our People Managers’ Guide to Mental Health, jointly developed by the CIPD and mental health charity Mind to improve support for those experiencing stress and mental ill health issues.