10,000 employee manufacturing company based in the U.S. Client: 10,000 employee manufacturing company based in the U.S. Challenge: The client reached out to Health Advocate after one of their shift managers, who had been with the company for 27 years, committed suicide. They needed help notifying employees about his death and helping his team cope with the sudden tragedy.

Solution: The Health Advocate Disruptive Event Coordinator worked closely with their HR team to develop a strategy for informing the organization about the tragedy. In addition, Health Advocate sent a team of counselors to the worksite to provide support. The onsite Counselors offered empathy and provided an educational session focused on suicide, grief and normalized reactions and responses to events of this type. Impacted employees were encouraged to call the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for support as needed. Several handouts were provided and placed in break areas throughout the organization for employees who were unable to attend the onsite event. The EAP Disruptive Event Coordinator followed up with HR immediately after the onsite session and one week later, to determine if any other services were needed.

Results: 5 employees contacted the Health Advocate EAP after the crisis response services to seek assistance individually after hearing more about how we could help. This resulted in improved productivity, loyalty to the employer, and prevention of unnecessary absences due to employees being able to schedule their appointments after work as they requested.