Let mourning stop, when one’s grief is fully expressed.
– Confusius
Grief in the workplace
As an employer or manager, you naturally want to get the best out of your employees. When a colleague is confronted with loss in his private life or at work, this affects his performance. This can lead to stress or even mourning situations.
What types of loss are there?
The different forms of grief can be divided into:
private (divorce, illness, death);
hidden (miscarriage, deceased pet, losing your house);
and work (different working method, different workplace, new manager, death of a colleague, adjusting in a new country).
How can you recognize mourning?
Someone who is grieving suffers from reduced concentration, often caused by insomnia. They can suffer extreme fatigue, body aches, mood swings.
In addition to normal mourning, there is also complicated grief. The mourner gets stuck in the grieving process which makes it impossible to resume a daily rhythm.
Multiple loss is an accumulation of loss experiences. Ultimately it becomes too much to handle. Often with burnout as a result.
How can you support your employee?
As a manager you can help by providing the tools to make life more bearable. Engage a grief and loss counselor in the workplace, or for the employee in the practice.
I can help you implement a plan of action, provide empathy training for co-workers or a return to work training.
Is a high level of stress inevitable in your office? Consider organizing a couple of hours once a month, with a counselor at your office. This way employees can talk about their emotions in a safe and confidential environment.
Would you like to discuss the possibilities for your company? Do not hesitate to contact me for more information.