Toolkit
Preventing and Responding to Suicide at Work
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Download the full toolkit (PDF)
Postvention—Responding to a Loss
Support Resources and Tools
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Resources for Leaders:
Employee Assistance Providers and Critical Incident Response Support:
In the immediate aftermath of a workplace suicide, consider contacting your Employee Assistance Provider for assistance. EAP's can provide leadership consultation and guidance, offer critical incident consultation and intervention services to affected employees, and play a key role in delivering immediate crisis intervention, referrals, and linkage to short- and long-term resources.
Suicide Postvention Guidance for Managers:
A Manager's Guide to Suicide Postvention in the Workplace: 10 Action Steps for Dealing with the Aftermath of Suicide
(Carson J Spencer Foundation, 2013)
The foremost guide on workplace suicide postvention for managers. The guide is a practical guide designed to help managers and HR respond compassionately and effectively when a suicide impacts the workplace. It explains what postvention is, outlines clear response phases (Immediate, Short-term and Long-Term), and provides concrete tools that can be adapted into policies, procedures, and quick-reference materials for organizations.
​This guide offers:
A plain-language explanation of postvention and why it matters in workplaces.
An overview of 10 action steps organized into three phases: Immediate (Acute), Short-term (Recovery), and Longer-term (Reconstructing).
Detailed guidance for each step (Coordinate, Notify, Communicate, Support, Link, Comfort, Restore, Lead, Honour, Sustain).
Practical checklists for managers at key points (e.g., coordinating response, communication, memorialization, return-to-work).
Sample internal notification memos (when the cause of death is revealed or withheld).
A sample external announcement for high-profile suicides affecting the workplace.
A decision-making flowchart for suicide postvention to guide actions over time.
A concise glossary of key terms (e.g., postvention, contagion, complicated grief, gatekeeper).
A curated list of workplace suicide prevention and grief resources, including training tools, support directories, and memorialization guidelines.
Additional Resources
Leading a Company in the Aftermath of a Suicide Loss
Construction Financial Management Association
Resources for Employees:
Workplace and employee support
Your Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP/EAP)
Confidential counselling and crisis support; check your benefits or speak to HR for contact details.
24/7 suicide crisis support (Canada-Wide)
Your Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP/EAP)
Confidential counselling and crisis support; check your benefits or speak to HR for contact details.
9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline
(phone or text), free, confidential, 24/7 across Saskatchewan and Canada. If dialling 9-8-8 does not work from your phone, call 1-833-456-4566 (toll-free).
Kids Help Phone
24/7 confidential, free professional counselling, information and referrals for children, youth and young adults. Call 1-800-668-6868 or text CONNECT to 686868.
Hope for Wellness Helpline
Free, confidential, 24/7 counselling and crisis support service for Indigenous people across Canada. Call 1-855-242-3310 for phone support.
Saskatchewan Crisis and Resource Directories
Saskatchewan.ca
A listing of provincial and national crisis and emergency resources.
211 Saskatchewan
4/7 call, text, or search online for community, mental health, housing, and financial supports.
HealthLine 811
24/7 professional health, mental health, and addictions advice and support. Dial 811, call 1-877-800-0002 to be connected.
Digital tools for Saskatchewan residents
Embracing Life App
A complimentary app from Saskatchewan that offers safety planning, coping strategies, and connections to local crisis and mental health resources.
Antidepressant Skills at Work
Free, online evidence-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy workbook.
Provincial mental health and suicide grief counselling
Counselling Connect Saskatchewan
Free, immediate, brief professional counselling across the province for adults, families, children and teens for a variety of mental health concerns (including support for someone who has experienced a suicide loss), with in-person and virtual (phone or video) options.
Suicide Grief Support Groups
Suicide Grief Support Saskatoon
Peer-led, drop-in and closed group support for adults bereaved by suicide, plus one-to-one phone and email support. Community education and resource links are available.
Caring Hearts: Healing after Suicide Loss Support
A Healing and Sharing Circle, which is a traditional Indigenous approach to healing.
Meadow Lake Positively Parenting: Coping with Suicide Support Group
A monthly, open group for anyone who has lost someone to suicide.
