Bath Building Society has become the first building society to install R;pple’s digital crisis intervention tool, strengthening its commitment to employee mental health and suicide prevention.
Bath Building Society, which this year celebrates 120 years of helping Members achieve their home ownership and savings goals, has deployed the R;pple browser extension on all staff computers, adding an extra layer of protection for anyone experiencing a mental health crisis.
If a user searches online for harmful content relating to self-harm or suicide, the R;pple tool will automatically and discreetly intercept the search with a simple and calming screen. They will then be guided through a filter of breathing exercises and will be signposted to free, 24/7 mental health services and resources they can access immediately and in the long term.
R;pple was founded by Alice Hendy MBE 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. To date, the R;pple tool has over 1.9 million weekly active users across 49 countries and territories. It has intercepted close to 50,000 harmful online searches, saving countless lives to suicide.
“Bath Building Society has always played an active part in the community, supporting our Members and helping build a better future together. We pride ourselves on doing the same for our colleagues. Deploying R;pple at our workstations strengthens our colleague wellbeing program and creates a safety net for them, ensuring no one is left alone in their darkest hours. We are excited to join R;pple on their vital mission to save lives and hope that our example will encourage other Building Societies to do the same,” said Richard Ingle, CEO, Bath Building Society. “We are grateful to R;pple for their support and the smooth implementation process. The technology anonymises user searches and does not track or report on personally identifiable data which is a really key aspect for the digital crisis intervention they provide.”
“It’s inspiring to see Bath Building Society’s commitment to suicide prevention, and we are honoured to support them on their journey to creating a safer and healthier work environment. Prioritising employee wellbeing and mental health is paramount for any organisation that wants to build a sustainable future,” said Alice Hendy, Founder and CEO, R;pple Suicide Prevention Charity and R;pple Online Safety.
