Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science / Revue canadienne des sciences du comportement, Vol 57(3), Jul 2025, 200-208; doi:10.1037/cbs0000439
We examined the effect of an employee suicide on an organisation’s employer brand image and perceptions of organisational support. Three hundred fifty-seven respondents recruited through Prolific read one of 12 vignettes in a 2 (cause: work-related/work-unrelated) × 3 (employer response: good/bad/neutral) × 2 (gender: male/female) design. Our results suggest that a work-related cause and a bad or neutral response resulted in lower brand image and perceived organisational support, with a good response resulting in higher brand image ratings than a bad response. However, a good response does not compensate for a work-related cause. These findings point to the need for employers to provide more tangible and empathetic aid to those affected to avoid a reduction in brand image and perceptions of organisational support. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)