Work - Related Suicide

Transcription

1 Work - Related Suicide A COMMUNICORP WHITEPAPER With special contributions by Dr Jane Austin November 2014

2 Suicide and the Workplace The evidence suggests that most suicides are largely preventable. Work-related suicide is NOT restricted to suicide that occurs in the workplace. On the contrary, very few work-related suicides have been shown to actually occur at work. However, they can have profoundly negative effects on workplaces. One Australian study found that 17% of suicides in Victoria from were work-related. 1 Applying this estimate to deaths across Australia, approximately 3,800 suicides over the decade to 2011 may be work-related. However, this is likely to be an underestimation given the difficulty of establishing post event causal factors. The World Health Organisation suggests worker suicide is a result of complex interaction between individual vulnerabilities and work-related environmental factors that trigger stress reactions and contribute to poor mental wellbeing. 2 Workplace issues that are frequently cited as contributing to psychological distress include bullying and harassment, incivility, increased workload and longer hours, employment uncertainty and performance management, for example. We are working longer hours, often from home, with 24/7 access to s which has led to the line between work and home becoming blurred. With this comes increasing levels of chronic stress and this is a major factor in the development of psychological distress and potentially, mental health disorders and suicide. There is a growing acknowledgement that work plays a significant role in our psychological wellbeing, and whilst good work is good for you, a growing body of knowledge has informed us that some work can also have detrimental effects on our mental health and wellbeing. The role of the workplace in either contributing to, or protecting an employee from, mental health issues and suicide is of key importance to organisations for a number of reasons. There is of course a WHS legal obligation for organisations to provide a safe and healthy workplace. Many are only just coming to realise that this responsibility includes psychological safety as well as physical safety. Moreover, looking after people is the right thing to do and, as it turns out, is good for business. However, simply providing access to an EAP, basic mental health awareness seminars or participating in events like RUOK day alone, are insufficient to systemically and sustainably positively influence the psychological health of individuals, team and workplaces as a whole. Providing a workplace that is psychologically safe and healthy has an impact on the bottom line and organisations are realising the heavy losses, both financial and human, that occur when attention is not directed to employee psychological safety and wellbeing. Preliminary research shows that Australian businesses lose over $6.5 billion each year by failing to provide early intervention/treatment for employees with mental health condition. 3 Workplaces that do not invest in employee psychological safety and wellbeing stand out from the crowd with increasing rates of absenteeism, presenteeism, staff turnover and psychological injury claims. Suicide has been estimated to cost the Australian economy $17.5 billion per year. 4

3 The Australian Picture 1,5 For the past decade suicide represented 1-2% of all deaths registered in Australia. For the past decade in Australia, more than 2000 people have taken their life each year. These are just the reported suicides (average of 6+ per day). This represents almost one per state or territory every day. Taking into consideration unreported suicides, actual number of deaths due to suicide may be 5% to 25% higher. The reported data on suicide is only the tip of the iceberg as research in this area is inherently problematic. Most deaths by suicide are among people of working age. Although suicide attempts are more common in women than men, generally men take their own lives at a rate of four times that of women. Suicide account for more deaths than transport accidents. The evidence suggests that most suicides are largely preventable

4 Psychosocial Risk Factors that Impact Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace Individual Risk Factors Mental health problems - depression, substance abuse, psychotic disorders and previous suicide attempts; undiagnosed or untreated mental health illness. Individual factors - male (ages years); physical health problems, especially in the elderly; young gay, lesbian or transgender; experiencing someone close to you complete suicide. Family-related factors - family breakdown, family conflict, child custody issues, abuse or family history of suicide. Social factors - socio-economic disadvantage, unemployment, being Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, school disengagement, incarceration, and social and geographical isolation (especially remote communities). Environmental factors - access to methods of suicide and exposure to suicide methods via the media or peers. Suicide sometimes occurs in clusters within a local area, when people identify with the distress of someone who has taken their own life. Stressful life events - such as bereavement or relationship breakdown; interpersonal conflict, rejection, failure, unemployment, financial stressors, humiliation and loss. Organisational Risk Factors Leadership - Values misalignment/mismatch, nonsupportive leadership style, poor quality, feedback and poor communication Workplace Culture and Relationships- Poor interpersonal relationships, bullying and harassment, social and physical isolation, lack of trust, honesty, fairness Organisational Change Poor communication of impending change, lack of collaboration and involvement of staff Work Flow and Systems - Heavy workload, fast working pace, unrealistic deadlines/targets, underresourced, poor/insufficient job description/role clarity Physical Environment Excessive noise, High/low or uncomfortable temperature, lack of space, poor lighting, inadequate equipment availability suitability or maintenance Work Role (& Role-specific demands/ requirements) - Long working hours, shift work, especially night work and rotating shift work and irregular hours, unpredictable hours, isolation Rewards and Development Career stagnation and uncertainty, lack of promotion prospects, poor remuneration, inadequate or poor training opportunities Wellness - Conflicting work/life demands, lack of flexible working arrangements, poor/lack of health policies, individual physical/psychological characteristics

5 Work- Related Suicide in FIFO Workers Psychological distress has been reported to be higher in the FIFO community of workers in WA compared to the general population. 6 There has also been at least nine FIFO worker suicides over a 12 month period although whether they are work related or not is difficult to say. Irrespective, it is important for the resources sector to identify the contributing psychosocial factors that may lead to mental illness and suicide amongst FIFO workers. Some of the factors will be those shared in common with other non-fifo workers such as bullying and harassment, interpersonal conflict and job uncertainty for example, whilst others will be unique to the FIFO experience. Some of the Unique FIFO Psychosocial Factors that Contribute to Psychological Distress Include: A male dominated workplace with a population of workers who are characterised by a reluctance to seek help A culture of suck it up princess and hence a reluctance to admit feelings of distress, particularly to management Frequent periods of time spent in remote and isolated regions Frequent periods of separation from main sources of social supports i.e. partners, family and friends Relationship strain and disconnectedness from partners and children which may lead to separation/divorce and further family distress Poorer access to health care Fatigue due to shift work, long hours (compressed schedules), Boredom due to routine, monotonous tasks and lack of free time facilities and opportunities Risk taking behaviours especially excessive use of alcohol, and/or drug use along with reduced opportunities to exercise and tendency to poor diet A lack of autonomy that is related to both work tasks and processes but also extends into free time activities e.g. when to eat meals Golden handcuffs Higher wages which leads some to financial over commitment and subsequent perception of being trapped into the job and lifestyle.

6 Mitigating the Risk PSYCHOLOGICALLY SAFE AND HEALTHY WORKPLACES FRAMEWORK CommuniCorp has developed a methodology to help organisations navigate the complex field of psychological health in the workplace. The Psychologically Safe and Healthy Workplaces (PS&HW) framework helps simplify the key organisational action points, systems and capabilities required to not only help organisations comply with the WHS obligations and mitigate risk, but to also realise the benefits of a psychologically flourishing workplace. It focuses on what to do and how to do it, from identifying psychosocial risk and intervention priorities, developing real people capabilities that move beyond the limitations of awareness and diagnosis based training, through to the measurement and evaluation of program effectiveness.

7 Awareness to Action In order to develop a psychologically safe and heathy workplace free of psychosocial hazards an organisation needs to address preventative actions as well as those actions designed to assist workers who are now unwell and potentially at risk of suicide. Planned strategies that cover the person, role & team/workplace level Planned strategies that utilise primary, secondary and tertiary level interventions Primary prevention typically involves identifying and reducing the presence of risks, where possible, followed by enhancing the capacity to manage remaining risks. At the individual level, one might provide employees with particular forms of support or skill that reduce the risk. An example is teaching resiliency: skills for overcoming adversity, recovering from setbacks and thriving under pressure. Ensuring people have the sufficient and necessary skills. At the organisational level, one might seek to change workplace risk factors associated with increased likelihood of psychological health problems. An example would be to increase the level of control a worker has over particular tasks as a means to reduce job stress. Secondary initiatives identify and address psychological health problems when they are in a relatively mild state and early stage, so that fast response will forestall more serious problems. Such efforts typically occur while the individual is at work, but may be struggling. These include actions, such as Training staff to identify mental health issues and intervene improving employee self-care providing program such as EAPs

8 Tertiary initiatives reduces the distress and dysfunction associated with an identified mental health disorder. This might involve ensuring prompt access to appropriate treatment, delivering rehabilitation to limit functional deficits, or instituting sophisticated return-to-work programs so that mental health problems do not cause sustained work disability. An individual who obtains appropriate treatment, effective rehabilitation and supported work return is less likely to experience lasting negative impacts, and more likely to achieve sustained work success and a reduced chance of recurrence of mental disorders. Examples include: supporting persons with mental illness while at work, improving access to psychological services and improving how psychological disabilities are managed. As the NSW Mineral council point out There is no single solution to address mental health and well-being and mental health issues. It requires a strategic and comprehensive approach to the issue with a range of integrated system, workplace and individually focused strategies. 7 Primary or preventative approaches that FIFO organisations need to consider for inclusion in a risk mitigation approach include: A greater focus on hiring process with greater scrutiny around person-job fit A comprehensive preparation process including education (e.g. what to expect, financial planning) and development of coping strategies for worker and family Family friendly work schedules allowing flexible working around important celebration days Regular mental health and wellbeing screening Resilience building through ongoing training A focus on psychological safety that is given equal weight with physical safety at tool box/start of shift meetings Stand-alone policies and procedures that address mental health and wellbeing.

9 Getting Help if Someone is Suicidal If a person is suicidal, it is recommended you: Let a doctor know the person is feeling suicidal (either GP or Psychiatrist) Take the person to a local public hospital Contact a local Crisis Team Contact a trusted friend or family member Telephone a counselling service: o Lifeline o MensLine o Suicide Call Back Service

10 REFERENCES 1. Routley, V. H. & Ozanne-Smith, J. E. (2012). Work Related Suicide in Victoria, Australia: A Broad Perspective. International Journal of Injury and Control and Safety Promotion 19(2), WHO (2006) 3. Work Outcomes Research Cost Benefit Project, preliminary data, Mental Health Fact Sheet: Mental Health and Employment, MHCA 4. Mendoza, J. & Rosenberg, S. (2010). Suicide & suicide prevention in Australia: Breaking the silence. Moffat Beach: ConNetica Consulting Pty Ltd. 5. Australian Bureau of Statistics (2012). Causes of Death, Australia (cat. No ). Available at atures~key%20characteristics~ Report% pdf (ACCESSED ON 24/10/14) BIO- DR. JANE AUSTIN Jane is a registered psychologist with over 20 years experience. She is registered with the Psychology Board of Australia, a Member of the Australian Psychological Society and the College of Clinical Psychologists. Jane coaches individuals, consults with organisations and provides quality training to positively impact people and systems. Jane s current work with CommunicorpGroup is focused on assisting organisations to develop psychologically safe and healthy workplaces by providing expert guidance, coaching and training. Jane advocates an integrated approach which focuses on practical, sustainable business-specific initiatives. Jane has worked both nationally and internationally with medium to large multinational organisations largely in the resources and energy/utilities industries.

11 FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT PREVENTING WORKPLACE SUICIDE CONTACT COMMUNICORP GROUP PTY LTD Is workplace Psychological health of interest to you? Why not join the conversation at Psychologically Healthy Workplaces Australia (LinkedIn Group)