World Suicide Prevention Day
(10 September)
By Mediplus Companhia de Seguros S.A.
There is a question most leaders never learned to ask in earnest: “Are you okay?”
Not as a greeting. As a question that expects an answer.
According to the World Health Organization, more than 700,000 people die by suicide every year, worldwide. Behind each of those deaths, there are signs that, in many cases, went unnoticed – not for lack of care, but for lack of language to name them.
In the workplace, these signs rarely arrive announced. They show up as irritability outside someone’s usual pattern, unexplained drops in productivity, gradual withdrawal from someone who used to participate actively.
A watchful leader doesn’t need to be a psychologist to notice. They need to be present enough to ask – and to create an environment where an honest answer is possible.
Ignoring this topic has real organisational costs: higher turnover, productivity drops difficult to attribute to a clear cause, and a culture where the best employees learn it isn’t safe to admit difficulty.
No high-performance culture survives sustainably on a foundation of forced silence.
It isn’t a one-off wellness workshop. It’s the combination of three things: real access to psychological support as part of health cover, a culture where asking and listening is normal, and leaders who know that managing people includes managing this too.
Mediplus cover includes psychological support as a structural part of the plan, not an extra negotiated separately. Because mental health is health, and an employer’s responsibility doesn’t end at today’s productivity.
Note: this is a sensitive topic. If you or someone you know is at immediate risk, please seek professional support or go to your nearest emergency service. Mediplus can help you find the right resources.
Source: World Health Organization, Suicide Worldwide in 2021 – Global Health Estimates
#Mediplus #MentalHealth #WorldSuicidePreventionDay #Leadership #SaúdePrimeiro
