Comments on: Work-related suicide gains some fresh media recognition

By: S. Towle

S. Towle — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 02:16:41 +0000

Speaking from experience, I can tell you how Workers compensation has left me homeless, divorced, and looking for my place in the world. I broke my back Feb 2, 2008. I was a class A mechanic who was reduced to a cripple. It was witnessed by my supervisor, me stepping out of the service truck and landing on my back. I reported the fall thinking nothing bad would happen, just bruising. I woke up 2 days later and couldnt feel my legs. Went to their doctors and found I had broken my back in 2 places, both inoperable. I laid up and did everything they told me to do thinking I would heal. I was that 10% that doesn’t heal correctly. I went back to work was criticised for my lack of work productivity and my lack of health improvement. It got worse not better. I pushed myself to try to meet their standards and never could. My home life started to feel the effects of my anger of the treatment by management, my son and wife started to dislike being near me. I started counseling and on the anniversary of my accident a year later admitted myself to a hospital for suicidal thoughts. I didn’t have one plan I had 4. I wanted the pain to end, the lack of being a man and not being able to provide for my family, the harrassment at work and the loss of friends because I was angry alot.
When I got out of the hospital it was like sharks smlling blood work became horrible. They had me clean toilets, fuel trucks and alot of other things that hurt me emotionally and physically. I got in a motorcycle accident and the company fired me while in the ICU. That was the straw that broke the camels back. I went deeper into depression my wife kicked me out and kept my son. I had no $ to fight in the divorce, so i lost everything I cared for. The day I broke my back I consider the day the gun was loaded, I have not pulled the trigger yet but everyday it crosses my mind. I suffer so my son doesn’t think suicide is the answer. Workers Comp hasn’t paid me for years and I have to wait to get in front of a judge to ever see that money. Where I used to work people get hurt and claim it on their insurance not workers comp because they saw how i was treated. Is work place injuries a trigger for suicide yes. Does workers comp make it worse, definately. From a person not talking about someone who did commit suicide, this is from the person who contemplates it daily. This sytem needs to be regulated and changes made. If the company had showed me some respect and helped me to feel some worth at work my life may be different, but the reality is the money I was costing them is all they saw.

By: Col Finnie

Col Finnie — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 09:22:00 +0000

For mine, there is an obvious, nay bleedingly obvious need for all OHS regulators to investigate any suicide at a workplace in the context of any other workplace fatality, i.e. gathering evidence on the presumption it may be used in a prosecution. It has happened of course, but I’m guesttimating too many slip through to the keeper. The enforcement spotlight needs to be trained on to clear evidence of managerial negligence that leads to the ultimate horrible expression of that negligence.

By: Howard

Howard — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 01:15:58 +0000

Thanks for posting this. We hear so much about bullying is schools, but I never really thought about bullying in the workplace. Thanks for making me aware of this important issue and its effects

By: Nancy Sersch

Nancy Sersch — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 05:56:45 +0000

I made NO claims by the way.

By: Alice

Alice — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 05:51:57 +0000

I agree with your last comment here . Thank you. Yes, ALL stakeholders need to be aware, educated regarding Psychological issuers in the workplace. As in (mis}perception I can only speak from experience in dealing with many who have stated what I said, and openly speak of such. Yes it is a huge challenge and multifaceted. There is change needed and as soon as can be realised before more are injured from workplace abuse.

By: Nancy Sersch

Nancy Sersch — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 05:50:54 +0000

“Common misperception of the HR profession?” They used draconian methods of trying to make the bully and I to “get along” 10 minutes of her tearing me down without me interrupting with NO documentation. I had 10 minutes of documentation, times, dates and instances that she interrupted 3 times!

By: Kevin Jones

Kevin Jones — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 05:43:20 +0000

In reply to Alice. The comment above has been allowed, in this instance, because it illustrates a common (mis?)perception of the human resources profession, the safety profession, insurance companies and safety regulators. Considerable work is required from all the stakeholders in workplace mental health and safety to reintroduce a heart and a humanity into the management of psychosocial issues in the workplace. It is a huge challenge and one that no one is yet addressing as part of a broad and sustainable strategy.

By: Kevin Jones

Kevin Jones — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 05:39:13 +0000

In reply to Alice. Every time SafetyAtWorkBlog posts an article concerning work-related suicide or workplace bullying, I am inundated with comments that are often defamatory or that air grievances or that provide details of workers compensation claims and dealings that cannot be independently substantiated for lots of reasons. This inundation is a consequence of my writing about workplace bullying and work-related suicide but please note that the blog comments are moderated by me and will not be published unless the comments relate to the topic in the main article, provide an illustration of the work problem or provide constructive suggestions for control measures.

By: Nancy Sersch

Nancy Sersch — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 05:28:49 +0000

I was workplace bullied for two years. The last six months after I finally contacted HR I had under performance reviews. NEVER had them before. I was the best and worked there 13yrs. Management, HR and even the CEO failed me. I considered suicide but asked for help instead outside of work. Bet they wouldn’t care if I did it. They did NOT want to impliment policies to prevent workplace bullying. They just want the targets to go away. Unfortunately, the targets are usually the best of the best. The replacements don’t even compare.

By: Alice

Alice — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 05:13:11 +0000

I have been researching watching and listening for a long time about this one issue. I am tired, frustrated of all the so called research and guidelines that all talk about ,when in fact in reality they do not always work if at all.in most organizations dare I say Govt as well! . The processes that a person goes through that is bullied in a workplace is horrendous for most. Fact! The organizations through HR and also their lawyers often deliberately do anything to and stop the claims. The target of workplace bullying is further persecuted, yes persecuted. Now this may sound a little confronting, but I speak truth here and can back up what I am saying in documentation. It is about money! This so often appears to be is the bottom line. When it comes to standards and procedures actually being tested in a workplace, ore often than not they not worth the paper they are written on. Looks good for the organizations they are seen to be “Doing something”and taking the issue seriously! At the other end of this I suggest most strongly you speak to real people, about what happened to them when they did lodge a claim for workplace abuse. This would be the reality! Bullying in workplaces is not addressed adequately ignored, the target is persecuted further for daring to speak up and lodge a Claim, the bully is protected, the target goes throught under performance and or a trumped up Misconduct to get rid of them and shut them up or leave the organization. This is reality! The targets mental health is affected, career and reputation ruined, isolated from colleagues, relationships in tatters, and more than often is the case financially ruined. Frequently, the target is “NOT HEARD”by HR, the Insurers. ” Paid hired guns” used by the organizations to undermine the Claim and target through any investigations. What I have stated here is the tip of the iceberg so to speak. There is far more I could say. I wonder if you will actually put this on now I have spoken about the realities of so called processes, guidelines and standards. These need to be put in place with real meaning. Law reform regarding this need to be looked at as well. After all I have mentioned above which is reality for many, no wonder they are driven to such extremes as suicide. I am not making an excuse for suicide but if you or anyone really understood about severe stress etc you would know how the brain works and under severe stress etc one can and does depersonalize and then the outcome can be Suicide etc