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I do not know if it is the norm but I have also worked at an organization where one employee committed suicide. Leadership said nothing and everything was toned

I do not know if it is the norm but I have also worked at an organization where one employee committed suicide. Leadership said nothing and everything was toned down. Some people spoke up and complained though. My interpretation is that the response was a combination of culture (although suicide is not "taboo" here it is not a preferred topic) and not wanting to bring undue attention to the organization.

refurb 5y ago
What do you mean “said nothing” as in they stopped showing up and management pretended nothing happened? Or the person died and they didn’t say it was a suicide. Because if it’s the 2nd, that seems pretty normal. My right to know doesnt trump the family’s right to privacy.
- VariableStar 5y ago
  Colleagues knew it was suicide and wanted to talk about it. Leadership did not want to discuss the issue. Normal, as you write.
  - refurb 5y ago
    But coworkers could discuss among themselves? This just seems bizarre to me to expect a special “all hands” session or something to discuss this. Provide counseling services? Sure. Put a “how Jimmy died” meeting on everyone’s calendar? That’s odd.
- newaccount74 5y ago
  I'd like to think that if you spend 8 hours a day with someone everyday, and suddenly they are gone, it would be a decent thing to tell you what happened to them.
- pc86 5y ago
  Framing discussions around cause of death as privacy is a double standard. If you say someone died in a car crash, nobody gasps and tells you to respect the deceased's or their family's privacy. It's so extreme that is anyone even brings up privacy with regard to a death or cause of death everyone assumes they committed suicide, or did something criminal that ended in their death, or something else negative. Cause of death is posted in the newspapers and otherwise discussed in public all the time, there is no right to privacy around that piece of information.
  - refurb 5y ago
    No offense, but when a coworker dies it’s not about you. When a coworker died at work we usually understood the family was the one that needed support, not us. And if the family asked for privacy, then they got it. And if any of us needed support, we helped each other. We didn’t need HR to pencil in a meeting. And no, when someone dies their cause of death is not automatically public and most people (including employers) respect that.

refurb 5y ago

What do you mean “said nothing” as in they stopped showing up and management pretended nothing happened? Or the person died and they didn’t say it was a suicide. Because if it’s the 2nd, that seems pretty normal. My right to know doesnt trump the family’s right to privacy.

VariableStar 5y ago
Colleagues knew it was suicide and wanted to talk about it. Leadership did not want to discuss the issue. Normal, as you write.
- refurb 5y ago
  But coworkers could discuss among themselves? This just seems bizarre to me to expect a special “all hands” session or something to discuss this. Provide counseling services? Sure. Put a “how Jimmy died” meeting on everyone’s calendar? That’s odd.
newaccount74 5y ago
I'd like to think that if you spend 8 hours a day with someone everyday, and suddenly they are gone, it would be a decent thing to tell you what happened to them.
pc86 5y ago
Framing discussions around cause of death as privacy is a double standard. If you say someone died in a car crash, nobody gasps and tells you to respect the deceased's or their family's privacy. It's so extreme that is anyone even brings up privacy with regard to a death or cause of death everyone assumes they committed suicide, or did something criminal that ended in their death, or something else negative. Cause of death is posted in the newspapers and otherwise discussed in public all the time, there is no right to privacy around that piece of information.
- refurb 5y ago
  No offense, but when a coworker dies it’s not about you. When a coworker died at work we usually understood the family was the one that needed support, not us. And if the family asked for privacy, then they got it. And if any of us needed support, we helped each other. We didn’t need HR to pencil in a meeting. And no, when someone dies their cause of death is not automatically public and most people (including employers) respect that.