September is Suicide Prevention Month – Take Care of Your Employees

According to the CDC, “Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. View the most recent suicide data overall and by selected demographic characteristics. This includes age, gender, race/ethnicity, and method of suicide” Suicide Data and Statistics | Suicide Prevention | CDC.

All too often we hear stories in corporate America about a friend or beloved colleague taking their own life.  We are shocked, saddened, and traumatized, but how many times have we heard “No one ever saw it coming.”

During the month of September, please take a few moments to step back from your busy day and talk to your friends and colleagues to see if anything is “off.”  You never know what someone is dealing with until you have walked a mile in their shoes. Not everyone will disclose that they are dealing with challenges in life, but maybe one person will be vulnerable…and maybe you can help save one person before they reach the end of their rope.

Human Resources departments – reach out to your employees with resources that are available to help employees cope with the challenges in life.  Offer learning and development in areas such as stress, burnout, and work/life balance.  Nothing is more important than making sure your employees are mentally and physically healthy and can give 100% each and every day.

For more information on learning and development on wellness topics, reach out here to IntegriStar!