Bath Building Society partners with R;pple charity to support safe online experiences for colleagues
Posted on 14th August 24
Bath Building Society has signed up as the first Building Society to install R;pple’s digital crisis intervention tool, strengthening our commitment to colleague mental health.
R;pple is a technology organisation specialising in classifying harmful online content and advancing online safety through AI and machine learning. An extension of R;pple Suicide Prevention Charity, it supports the Charity by providing technological innovations and resources for its award-winning digital crisis intervention tool. Through partnerships with private and public sector organisations, R;pple Online Safety aims to broaden the adoption of the R;pple tool, ensuring safer online experiences for all.
The Society has deployed the R;pple browser extension on all colleagues 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.
Richard Ingle, CEO, Bath Building Society, said: “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.”
“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 colleague 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.
Learn more: https://www.ripplesuicideprevention.com
