International researchers and advocates from the International Association for Suicide Prevention’s Workplace Special Interest Group are working on a BIG idea.
What do we do when work kills?
How do we — as a global community — take urgent action in order to define, recognize, investigate and prevent work-related suicide?
What are “work-related suicide” deaths? Suicide deaths that are caused in part or in whole by work-related factors.
The IASP Workplace special interest group has highlighted the need to move the workplace focus in suicide prevention from seeing the workplace as simply the venue where interventions can occur but also a place and a connection that interacts with individuals’ suicidal intensity. What happens when there is a causal link between workplace and suicidal intensity is it enough just to identify individuals and treat or should the workplace itself be treated. This podcast episode discusses the suicide prevention benefits of acknowledging suicide as a potential consequence of psychosocial hazards in the workplace.
While the workplace can offer a sense of purpose and belonging when working well, it can also be a place fraught with psychosocial hazards that increase distress and despair than can lead to suicide. Research shows that exposure to psychosocial job stressors including lack of autonomy, lack of variety, effort-reward imbalance, bullying and discrimination at work are linked to an elevated risk of suicidal behavior.
Historically, governments and employers have largely attributed suicide risk to personal and medical issues, but with this emerging research we must also acknowledge the workplace contribution. In this podcast I speak with world thought leaders Jorgen Gullestrup of Australia and Prof Sarah Waters of the UK about this paradigm shift and our need to define, measure and regulate suicide deaths related to work. For more information go to https://www.sallyspencerthomas.com/headspace/10