How are we managing grief in the workplace?
A lot of organizations dance around the issue of grief or loss in the workplace. The customary condolences are paid, and the flowers are sent. I do sincerely believe organizations, generally, are empathetic to an employee’s loss; as long as they do their grieving at home, outside of office hours. When the 3-5 standard mourning days are over, one is expected to come back and continue as normal.
The thing is, nothing feels normal. In a blink of an eye, your world comes crumbling down. Believe me, you want nothing more than “normal” to return, simple things, old routines, like getting a coffee and laughing with your colleagues. It doesn’t feel normal anymore, it feels like someone else’s life and the pain is excruciating. Loss is something that binds us together as human beings, It affects us all differently, but it will affect all of us at some point and guess what? There are no rules.
Grief is an inevitable part of life, I get it, but when you are in the “throws” of it, knowing that doesn’t make it easier. It’s crippling. Grief can be an uncomfortable subject for a lot of people and especially in the workplace.
Companies, in general, need to step up here, acknowledge it, normalize it, and make talking about it an acceptable part of their culture. In the workplace, we need to make room for mourning, and vulnerability whilst putting support in place for those in need. Companies need to show an actual “working support model” for employees mourning, regardless of level.
What would this look like? It could be internal support groups, access to health coaches, grief counsellors, extended leave, and flexibility around the individuals’ needs. Whatever it is; It needs to be visible, normalised and accessible. Compassion plays a major role here. Taking the time to ask people “how are you?” and actually waiting for the answer. There is no right or wrong way to grieve, and unfortunately, there is no “quick fix.”
In an IMD longitudinal research study into grief over two decades, they found when grief lingers, it becomes debilitating and destructive and extorts a high price in terms of people’s wellbeing.
Remember, systems run your business, people run your systems
Now let’s look at it from the other side of the fence:
Grief costs. Unresolved grief is a pervasive, overlooked leadership derailer that affects over 33% of senior executives at one time or another. Research shows unresolved grief can lead to tens of billions of dollars per year in lost productivity and dampened performance, stemming from sapped energy and confidence levels, worsened health, and other lasting effects.
Your employees, regardless of level, are neither machines nor commodities. Work is part of our lives; not all of it. Every aspect of our life plays into our health. If your employees are not well; neither is your business. The more compassion and authenticity a company leads with, the more content your people will be. Try it. The results may just surprise you.
Your Employees. Your Company. Your Choice.
If you would like further information on health coaching, contact me on:
heather@heathermcguire.ie