How to support grieving employees beyond bereavement leave

In 2003, The Grief Recovery Institute was surveyed to assess the impact of grief on the workplace. It recognised that people grieve - the death of loved ones including pets, divorce, family crises, and major lifestyle alterations especially around health. The resulting financial loss in productivity business in 2003 was calculated to be just over 75 billion dollars. Further, research from Hospice UK shows that 77% of employees aged 18-34 would consider leaving their jobs if they felt unsupported after a loss.

This means that even though loss and grief are expected, most companies are unprepared to do the minimum, or don’t know how to do more. Companies also often see personal experiences as outside the scope of their work. 

But you can see how this is impacting your company, so it’s time to do more. 

1. Create a compassionate workplace

To make changes that matter, you need to hold the intention of building a caring workplace that starts top-down. A compassionate workplace is where policies are made for the true benefit of employees and where management shows empathy towards people while holding them with gentle accountability.

In this case, it starts with broadening the understanding of what bereavement can look like and what could help the person. It could mean, considering implementing a paid leave policy to begin with. If that’s something that you have already, how can you go beyond it? 

2. Have clear and inclusive policies

• Have a uniform Bereavement policy with a minimum of 10 days paid leave. Know that people can also take this leave before the death of a loved one, to prepare for the inevitable.
• Offer clarifications on extensions (in case of travel, or urgent administrative work), as well as flexible work options after the end of the leave.
• Bereavement leaves must cover the loss of any loved one (whether friends or family) who is closely related to the employees, as well as their pets. It also must include miscarriage or a Medical Termination of Pregnancy.

Practical Support at Work

These are steps and norms that when developed and implemented with intention, help in setting an atmosphere of a caring workplace:

• Assistance with Workload: As soon as someone has taken time off after a loss, you can begin to redistribute responsibilities temporarily and push deadlines where you can. Explore options for flexible work timings, and give at least a month for employees to be able to slowly settle into work and take back complete responsibilities.
• Gradual Reintegration: Build a phased reintegration period or provide a lower workload during the week to 10 days of return, as a person reorients themselves to the pace of work as well as the mental demands.
• Rest and Recovery: Encouraging employees to take time for self-care and rest, along with a lower workload. This can aid their physical recovery, as grief often leads to physical exhaustion or illness.
• Personalized Check-ins: Follow up the reintegration period with regular check-ins to assess how an employee is managing workload (however much it is), especially after their first week. Managers, or HR, can discuss and also speak routinely to the employee to make them feel supported, without being intrusive.  

Emotional Support:

These may be ongoing and offered to all employees, but must remain voluntary. 

• Counseling and Therapy: In case you have an EAP service, encourage employees to speak to a counsellor to process their grief or support in managing their responsibilities at work.
• Peer Support Groups: Setting up spaces where employees share their experiences with others who have experienced similar losses can provide a sense of community and reduce feelings of isolation. Ensure you have someone experienced to facilitate this space.
• Mental Health Resources: You, along with HR, can direct employees to existing support around grief, to continue to focus on their wellbeing outside work. Share information about workshops, or books related to mental health, to provide tools to manage challenges during bereavement.

Other Forms of Support:

• Financial or Legal Guidance: Losing someone like a romantic partner or a (grand)parent can lead to financial and legal concerns, concerning insurance and property. Employers may offer support services to help employees navigate the financial impacts of their loss and other issues that may come up. This may also include childcare support.
• Team support: If your employee shares about a loss with you, first ask them what they would like you to share with the rest of the team, and if there is any specific help they would like. Visiting them during this time to offer condolences, sending a care package, meeting them virtually or calling them can be additional ways of showing up for people who matter to the work you do.
• Develop guidelines: Organisations should regularly review their current return-to-work guidance for employees, and managers should undergo training to learn to support those grieving. If you don’t have a guide, make one to outline best practices to ensure adequate support, and keep taking feedback from employees to improve it. 

A culture of compassion includes looking at employees as humans, before workers. It’s important to make the effort to be there for someone and develop work teams into communities. People show up to places where they feel cared for, so create an organisation that respects someone’s grieving journey and makes a systemic change to support them.

FAQs

Is there a difference between bereavement leave and other types of leave (like sick leave)?

Yes, Bereavement Leave is a leave meant for employees who are mourning the loss of a loved one. It is given by the company and is different from sick leave or personal time off. In case companies don’t offer formal Bereavement Leave, people can take any other form of paid leave.

How can companies support grieving employees better?

Here are some resources: 

• “The Grief Recovery Handbook” by John W. James and Russell Friedman is a practical guide for dealing with grief and includes strategies to help employees.
• “Grief at Work: A Guide for Managers and Supervisors” by James L. Creighton is a helpful resource for managers, with advice on how to address grief in the workplace and support grieving employees.