World Suicide Prevention Day is taking place on 10th September 2025 with the aim of raising awareness about suicide and suicide prevention. According to recent statistics, every 90 minutes, someone in the UK or Ireland dies by suicide* and 1 in 4 people have had suicidal thoughts**. In light of this, businesses may wish to think about what they can do to support an employee if they reach a crisis point.
It can be difficult to know where to start, so here are three things your business may find helpful:
- Raising awareness
- Manager as initial contact point
- Employee protections
Raising awareness
You may wish to support employees with their health and wellbeing by raising awareness generally of the support that’s available and how to access it. This could help employees to get the help and support they need at an early stage. To raise awareness, you might want to think about:
- Whether any ongoing employee wellbeing programme would benefit from being developed further
- Signposting external sources of support
- Clearly communicating what support is available through occupational health or employee assistance programmes (where applicable) and ensuring employees know how to access these services
If you would like contact details for a source of support, you may wish to consider the Samaritans. Information about the organisation and ways to contact them can be found at www.samaritans.org.
Manager as initial point of contact
Sometimes, the first person an employee discloses their distress to is their manager. Such conversations can be difficult, and a sensitive, compassionate and appropriate approach will be important. Being prepared to have such a conversation with an employee and thinking ahead to what immediate action might be needed to support them can be beneficial. Managers may want to be prepared to discuss sources of support and help the employee reach out if needed.
Employee Protections
In addition to workplace support, it’s important to bear in mind that an employee who is having suicidal thoughts may be considered disabled under the Equality Act, and if so, will have protection from discrimination. Managing an employee who has reached a crisis point is not always straightforward, so it’s important to be alert to discrimination (and harassment) issues, as it can help you to avoid making a misstep. Whilst many businesses will wish to take a supportive approach in any event, don’t overlook the duty to make reasonable adjustments for an employee if they are disabled under the Equality Act.
Remember, we are here to help. If you need advice on an HR matter in your business, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
*Office for National Statistics (2024). Suicides in England and Wales: 2023 registrations. National Records of Scotland (2024). Probable suicides 2023. Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (2025). Northern Ireland Suicide Statistics, 2023. Central Statistics Office. (2024). Suicide death rates.
**NHS Digital. (2025). Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey: Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, England, 2023/24.