Talking about suicide at work can feel daunting.

Many organisations worry about saying the wrong thing, making things worse, or opening conversations they don’t feel equipped to hold. That fear is understandable — and it is exactly where our work begins.

What BS 30480 is asking organisations to do

The British Standard for Suicide Prevention in the Workplace (BS 30480) marks an important shift. It recognises that suicide prevention is not just a clinical issue, it is about people, culture and how organisations prepare their workforce.

At its heart, the Standard is not asking organisations to eliminate risk or turn managers into experts. It is asking organisations to be able to say:

  • we acknowledge that suicide risk exists
  • people feel safe to speak up
  • staff and managers know what to say, and what not to say
  • there are clear, supportive routes for getting help
  • talking about suicide is allowed here

These expectations align closely with Olly’s Future’s approach.

How we support organisations

At Olly’s Future, we do not position ourselves as clinical providers or crisis services.

Our role is to prepare people. We have already trained over 10,000 individuals from a wide range of workplaces, professions and sectors.

We help organisations build confidence, language and culture, so staff and managers feel able to have safe, compassionate conversations and know what to do next.

This training is designed for staff, managers, HR teams and leadership groups, and sits alongside, not instead of, your existing wellbeing and safeguarding arrangements.

Our training offers

In practice, this means training your people, not rewriting policies or creating complex new systems.

We support organisations through two complementary training offers, both of which align strongly with the capability and cultural expectations set out in BS 30480.

Talking About Suicide: 10 Tools (TAS:10)

Practical training to help staff and managers talk about suicide safely at work.

This training supports:

  • workforce awareness and confidence
  • manager clarity and boundaries
  • reduced fear of “saying the wrong thing”
  • direct, compassionate conversations

Participants gain:

  • practical, non-clinical language
  • confidence to ask directly about suicide
  • skills to listen and respond safely
  • clarity about roles, limits and signposting

CareSpace: 10 Techniques for Wellbeing

A facilitated session to strengthen culture, listening and psychological safety.

This training supports:

  • psychologically safe workplace cultures
  • peer awareness and listening
  • early, compassionate intervention
  • shared responsibility for wellbeing

Participants gain:

  • improved listening and reflection skills
  • greater self-awareness and self-compassion
  • shared language around care and wellbeing
  • stronger peer-to-peer support

CareSpace complements TAS:10 by embedding suicide awareness within a broader culture of care.

How does this align with BS 30480

Together, TAS:10 and CareSpace support key areas of the Standard, including:

  • building organisational confidence and preparedness
  • developing staff and manager capability
  • strengthening psychologically safe cultures
  • supporting clear, proportionate responses when concerns arise

We support alignment with the spirit and intent of BS 30480, without overclaiming or overcomplicating.

Where our support stops, and why that matters

BS 30480 is clear that suicide prevention at work is about prevention, preparedness and proportionate response.

Olly’s Future does not:

  • diagnose or assess risk
  • provide therapy or clinical care
  • replace statutory or emergency services
  • claim to make organisations “suicide-proof”

This clarity protects organisations, leaders and staff and keeps conversations safe.

Next steps

If your organisation is responding to BS 30480 or wants to strengthen its approach to suicide prevention at work, our training offers a clear and practical starting point.