Standard Bank has appealed to the public to wait on an investigation surrounding the death of a female employee last week. According to initial reports on social media, the unidentified woman jumped to her death from the ledge of their Rosebank Head Office in an alleged suicide bid.
The woman had allegedly informed her employers that she was struggling with her mental health.
STANDARD BANK MAKES PUBLIC APPEAL OVER EMPLOYEE’S DEATH
According to a tweet from the Crime SA X account, an unidentified woman allegedly jumped off the sixth floor of the Standard Bank Head Office buildings in Johannesburg.
The account tweeted: “It is alleged that the female employee has been complaining about her mental status weeks before.”
Standard Bank responded to news of the woman’s death, which they labelled an “incident at one of our buildings.”
In a statement on its website, the company confirmed “a tragic incident involving a colleague who unfortunately fell at our 30 Baker Street offices in Johannesburg.”
It continued: “Regrettably, this resulted in the loss of our colleague’s life.”
Standard Bank has confirmed that they are complying with a police investigation into the woman’s death.
According to Police spokesperson Lt-Col Mavela Masondo, an inquest has been opened.
Images via Standard Bank/ Unsplash
NO COMMENT ON SUICIDE OR MENTAL HEALTH CLAIMS
On social media, many South Africans were upset at Standard Bank’s claims that the woman “fell.”
Others wanted to know if the woman had indeed suffered from mental health issues, particularly in the workplace.
In a statement to The South African, Standard Bank’s Media Liason Officier Ross Linstrom appealed to the public to “let the investigation take its course..”
Linstrom would not comment on claims that the employee had committed suicide, adding that “the investigation by relevant authorities is currently underway.” Citing confidentiality, he also would not comment on the woman’s health information.
COUNSELLING, WELLNESS PROGRAMME IN PLACE
In their statement to The South African, Standard Bank added that all employees at the Rosebank offices had continued to receive on-site counselling and support.
It added that several wellness initiatives were in place, “prioritising a focused on health screening and chronic condition management, mental wellbeing, financial wellbeing, and ensuring all our leaders are equipped to support their teams in this regard.”
When it comes to mental health matters, Standard Bank claims that it gives its employees “access to 24-hour confidential counselling, wellbeing mentoring and coaching” and “counsellors on-site.”
DO YOU BELIEVE ALL BUSINESSES SHOULD PRIORITISE THEIR EMPLOYEES’ MENTAL HEALTH?
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