Death in service may be an actuarial concept, but for employers the loss of a colleague in such a way is often a shock for which they are ill prepared.
Although life expectancies in Europe are rising, so is the normal retirement age and there remains a fairly high incidence of death for those aged under 65. The most disturbing fact about early death is that one of its leading causes is suicide – especially amongst men.
One fallacy about suicide is that it is largely conducted by young people – the lost young love or loneliness syndrome. However, in truth, the incidence of suicide rises with age. In the European Union there were just 4.6 deaths due to suicide per 100,000 people amongst the 15-19 year old age group in 2010. But for those aged 50-54 the incidence was 18.4 per 100,000. There was also a wide variation between countries – with the incidence amongst 50-54 year olds being only 1.9 per 100,000 in Cyprus yet 50.7 per 100,000 in Lithuania.
Company policies in place for handling death in service due to illness and accident can appear inappropriate when the fatality is self-inflicted. There will always be feelings of guilt mixed with sorrow and work colleagues who react in anger or frustration. Where the loss is in the close family of an employee, work colleagues may not know how to act – and remain silent. This is why it will be so important for the HR professional to step in and show sympathy and understanding – ensuring that affected staff members are given appropriate time-off to deal with the loss. People who self-harm will all too often have left behind them chaotic personal finances and highly traumatized relatives and friends. Therefore, greater flexibility may be necessary than in cases where death is anticipated.