(Self-) Confidence
Grief is a private matter? No! Grief is a response to loss and a way of healing. It is always also present in the workplace. Grieving employees often have limited capacity to work. Many times they may be absent for some time, more susceptible to illness – grieving consumes a lot of energy, which affects the immune system – and less able to concentrate…. This also affects the company’s day-to-day operations.
Colleagues and superiors are often overwhelmed and don’t know how to react. Fearful of saying or doing the wrong thing, they often remain silent or avoid the mourner. Own grief may be reactivated. The impact on colleagues and the team is particularly severe, when an active member of staff dies.
Clarity
Some questions that arise in the corporate context:
- Bereaved employees: What do they need to feel confident about returning to work? What additional support do they need? What are their current limitations?
- Managers/colleagues: What do they need to find a good way of dealing with the bereaved - and possibly with their personal grief? Who will keep in touch with the bereaved?
- How can the company provide support, what can and will it do, where are its limits? What structures are in place in the company to deal well with bereavement and other personal crises? Do employees know who to reach out to in the company?
Cohesion
Grieving employees who know that they are seen in their grief, that their company will take it into account as much as possible and work with them to find individual solutions, return to work sooner. They feel more connected to their company. The same is true for colleagues who observe closely how their company treats employees in a personal crisis. Crises that are well managed together strengthen the whole team, and subsequently the company and its culture.
Mourning Culture
Grief is very individual and there is not the one way to deal with it. I support you in finding the most suitable solution for everyone involved, for individuals as well as the team. This can also include setting up permanent structures for an effective crisis management within the company.