What should we do if our employee threatens to commit suicide? Do we have any obligations?

The threat to commit suicide may implicate California’s workplace violence prevention law, depending on the circumstances. Most employers are covered by this law, which requires employers to implement and maintain a workplace violence prevention plan detailing procedures for identifying and mitigating workplace violence hazards and receiving and responding to workplace violence threats and incidents.

Though an employer’s workplace violence prevention procedures must be customized for their own worksite and business circumstances, the following are some common potential responses to a threat like this, which may apply even if your company isn’t covered by