How do I manage a bereavement in business?
Working Through the Death of a Colleague ~ by Arielle Dance
Summary:
Leadership trainings and company handbooks don’t typically prepare managers for one of the most difficult things they might experience: the unexpected death of a team member. The author, who works in cancer care, recounts the difficult challenges she faced after losing an employee — and friend — and offers advice for managers in the same shoes:
1) Be authentic with your team;
2) Remember that your plan is not everyone’s plan;
3) Communicate your grief clearly;
4) Use the buddy system when it’s time to hire a new colleague;
5) Find a way to keep the memory alive.
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When a colleague is grieving ~ by Gianpiero Petriglieri and Sally Maitlis
Summary:
Grief is a universal human experience, yet workplace culture is often inhospitable to people suffering profound loss. Managers come to work prepared to celebrate births and birthdays, and even to handle illnesses, but when it comes to death, they fall silent and avert their gaze. The default approach is to try to spare the office from grief, leaving bereaved employees alone for a few days and then hoping they’ll return expediently to work.
This article provides guidance on how to humanely help team members return to productivity. Grief rarely unfolds in a neat progression, and managers should understand the phases the bereaved will experience and the most helpful response to each. Immediately after a death, acknowledging the loss without making demands is the best a manager can do. After grieving employees are back on the job, managers should be patient with inconsistency in performance and attitude. And as workers eventually emerge from mourning, managers should support this opportunity for growth.
In confronting grief, managers help fulfill their promise to bring out the best in their employees.
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