A suicide in the workplace is undoubtedly a deeply traumatic experience for employees and their legal workplaces. It may have a different resonance for different people depending on their own experiences of other bereavements and loss. For some colleagues the impact of such a tragic loss can be complex and may require specific support. Putting a protocol in place to guide how your legal workplace might respond to such a situation can prove helpful and may even serve as a form of suicide prevention.   

Here are some helpful suggestions to guide the protocol:  

Consider how your legal workplace responsibly communicates the death with employees, knowing that a death by suicide requires additional sensitivity. Responsible communication will involve:  

• Understanding that it may or may not be appropriate to disclose the manner of death. The starting point is to request family members to advise how they would like the death reported in the workplace and to respect their decision if they wish for the details to be kept private. Should the family agree to share the manner of death, they may wish to limit with whom it is communicated.  

• Providing a private area in the workplace where employees can take a break. 

• Affirm the person’s positive contributions in a real and meaningful way.  

• Avoid glorifying the death and sharing unnecessary details. 

• Depending on the circumstances, the death may be communicated verbally or in written format to your legal workplace. 

It may then be appropriate to convene colleagues after communicating about the death, in order to offer support in person.  

Practical help to colleagues might involve:  

• Discussing funeral details openly, and deciding together to attend the service whether individually, or perhaps ideally, as a group. 

• Setting aside some time before and or after the funeral to process some of the immediate feelings related to the sudden loss. 

• Involving close colleagues, in particular, in any planning efforts, to ensure their loss is acknowledged  

• In due course, offering to pack the individual’s work belongings and deliver them back to family. 

• Offering employees flexibility in work hours and workplace policies in the days or weeks following the death.  

• Being mindful of increased workload resulting from losing a team member; and of how this can create stress for employees at a difficult time. 

• Consider displaying a photo of the deceased and opening a book of condolences to be given to the family in due course.  

If your legal workplace offers an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), this is an ideal time to remind colleagues to avail of counselling. 

Additionally, the Law Society offers LegalMind, a subsidised and independent psychotherapy service for solicitors. 

Understand that the grieving process may be at odds with professional obligations and some impacted employees may require some compassionate leave.

Restore balance to the workplace by honouring the person who died with a fitting memorial. 

More information

If your legal workplace has been impacted by suicide and you would value additional support and guidance, please contact us confidentially at ps@lawsociety.ie. Further resources on suicide prevention are listed here.