Content warning: suicide, self-harm
At Lockton, continuing to support our associates’ and their families' wellbeing is very important to us. That’s why we have taken the important step of introducing R;pple to our workplace.
What is R;pple?
The charity, R;pple, was founded by Alice Hendy (opens a new window) (who works within the insurance industry) after losing her brother, Josh, to suicide at 21 years old. Josh had been researching techniques to take his own life through harmful internet searches. This sparked the idea for Alice to set up R;pple, a suicide prevention tool to help others - which is a vitally important addition to our company wellbeing offering.
The team at R;pple have developed a browser extension for computers and desktops, to provide help and support to individuals who are conducting searches related to self-harm or suicide online. Upon searching for harmful content, R;pple will recognise if someone is searching for phrases related to self-harm or suicide. The individual will then be automatically directed to R;pple, where they will see positive messages of support and be signposted to mental health resources and services that may be of help.
R;pple at Lockton
The R;pple browser tool will be automatically introduced across Lockton associate computers and networks in the UK and Ireland and across those at Lockton Re on Monday 3 October, with colleagues able to download the extension at home for free, making this available to associates' families and children too.
As R;pple expands its geographical reach, Lockton will take the appropriate steps to expand its reach to all associates. For anonymity and peace of mind, no personally identifiable data is gathered at any time, so a company will not know if an associate has triggered the tool on one of its devices.
Lockton is pleased to be joining other organistaions within the insurance industry who have already taken on the tool including QBE, Beazley, RSA, Acaster, BIBA, TMD and BIS.
More about R;pple
R;pple has saved lives - since its launch on 10 September 2021, 24 people have contacted R;pple to say the intervention of the R;pple tool saved their life. R;pple also provides its tool to schools, universities and colleges and is available to download for parents, charities, and individuals too. R;pple is free for everyone except businesses and corporates, whom they charge a subscription fee to enable the charity to keep running.
More information on R;pple and how to get this extension is available on the Ripple Suicide Prevention website (opens a new window). For any questions or queries, you can contact R;pple directly at info@ripplesuicideprevention.com (opens a new window).
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If you have been affected by suicide, you are not alone. If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, talk to someone, let them know what is going on and ask for help. R;pple also recommends the following places of support:
In an emergency – call 999
SHOUT 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
CALM
Hub Of Hope
Samaritans – call 116 123 for free, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
National Suicide Alliance – including support for people affected by suicide
Cruse bereavement support
The Tomorrow Project
Zero Suicide Alliance free training