Grief in the Workplace
"Grief can split a person in two and can change the course of your life’’
Grief is the reaction employees have when they lose someone close to them or experience a significant loss and can have a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of your employees. It is one of the most difficult times, people will ever face and yet we often underestimate the support a person will need over the immediate and long term after experiencing this. Supporting employees through grief shows them that you value them as a human first and that you care for them when experiencing such challenging times.
At Irish Hospice Foundation we support the World Health Organization view that:
"Health is created and lived by people within the settings of their everyday life; where they learn, work, play, and love’’
A Holistic Grief in the Workplace Programme
Grief does not happen in isolation from normal life and a grieving person must process emotion, and the implications of their loss while also continuing to live – and work. The challenge is to process pain of grief, while simultaneously adjusting to a new environment without this person. Employees will not simply move on or get over it and workplaces that accept this will help employees cope better during this time.
Employees will often describe the period after they return to work as extremely difficult, when they are expected to return to normal productivity quickly or they experience a lack of recognition of their pain.
The good news is that there are practical steps your organisation can take to create a healthy work environment that is conducive to good grieving. Research shows that changes in the areas, outlined in the diagram below, matter most when it comes to good grief support and the provision of holistic workplace support.
With the right understanding and tools, managers and employees can identify and support grieving employees which has many positive benefits including:
- Better employee health and wellbeing
- Increased morale and motivation
- Reduced turnover and loss of expertise
- Increased productivity and performance
- A better reputation
Did you know that presenteeism can present an even greater risk to your organisation than absenteeism? Presenteeism occurs when an employee is physically at work but unable to carry out their tasks effectively or meaningfully engage with their work.
Grief in the Workplace: Evidence – Making the case to your employer
To help you make the case to your employer, read our recent Position Paper: Making the Case for Good Grief and Bereavement Care in the Workplace. This paper is aimed at employers, employee representative organisations and policymakers to build the ethical, legal and cost case for implementing a grief in the workplace programme for your organisation.
Further Reading:
Amarach Grief in the Workplace Survey, 2018
Grief in the Workplace: Facilitated Trainings
Our workshops and talks will help your employees develop individual skills but also create the necessary changes in your workplace to create a kind, compassionate and grief supportive environment.
Please contact us directly on [email protected] or 01 679 3210 to book in a training needs call to discuss your organisations requirements.
Please note – workshop pricing is available on request, as we operate a tiered model to increase accessibility to small voluntary and community organisations.
Is this for me?
Talks or webinars are an ideal way to introduce your staff to grief in the workplace in a gentle way, especially if you wish to educate a large cohort of staff in a short space of time. The talk will help participants understand how to cope with grief and support colleagues who are grieving. It will also give participants the opportunity to ask any questions they have about grief in the workplace.
What will I learn?
On completion of this talk you will:
- Be familiar with the ways in which grief can impact employees
- Have an overview of the grieving experience
- Understand ways to support ourselves and others when grieving
How long is it?
1 hour
How many can attend?
Up to 500
How is it delivered?
Face to face or online via Zoom or MS Teams (please let us know if you require a different platform).
Who is this for?
This workshop is for Human Resource (HR) Professionals and those in management positions who have responsibility for the workplace bereavement policy and adherence to workplace legislation. These staff may also have responsibility for other employees and influence on the workplace environment and culture. The workshop will help participants understand how to support others in terms of the provision of good bereavement and grief care within the workplace. It will also help HR staff take a proactive approach to grief through effective policy development and planning. The workshop format is an interactive adult learning approach that draws on the experiences of the participants to engage with the content and other attendees. It requires active participation to ensure attendees get the most from the workshop.
What will I learn?
On successful completion of this workshop, you will be able to:
- Explain why good bereavement and grief care in the workplace are important
- Summarise the common components of the grieving experience and how they may apply to our own life losses
- Describe the types of grief that employees can experience which will impact the workplace
- Discuss the various elements of holistic grief care in the workplace, in the following areas: environment, people, practices, governance
- Consider appropriate responses and language which can be used to support a colleague/employee who is grieving
- Recognise the importance of planning for what should happen if an employee/colleague dies and how to support employees when this occurs
- Develop a Bereavement Policy for your organisation using the IHF resources provided
- Discuss professional boundaries and how to practice self-care as a manager/HR professional in the context of grief in the workplace
How long is it?
3.5 Hours
How many can attend?
To ensure smooth running of the workshops we require a minimum of 7 participants and no more than 15.
How is it delivered?
Face to face or online via Zoom, or MS Teams (please let us know if you require a different platform and we will do our best to accommodate you
Who is this for?
This workshop is for Leaders and Managers who have responsibility for other employees and influence on the workplace environment and culture. It is designed to support managers to support others in terms of the provision of good bereavement and grief care within the workplace by developing their understanding of grief, it’s impact and how to provide effective support in a proactive way. The workshop format is an interactive adult learning approach that draws on the experiences of the participants to engage with the content and other attendees. It requires active participation to ensure attendees get the most from the workshop.
What will I learn?
On successful completion of this workshop, you will be able to:
- Explain why good bereavement and grief care in the workplace are important
- Summarise the common components of the grieving experience and how they may apply to our own life losses
- Describe the types of grief that employees can experience which could impact the workplace
- Discuss the various elements of holistic grief care in the workplace, in the following areas: environment, people, practices, governance
- Consider appropriate responses and language which can be used to support a colleague/employee who is grieving
- Recognise the importance of planning for what should happen if an employee/colleague dies and how to support employees when this occurs
- Discuss professional boundaries and how to practice self-care as a manager in the context of grief in the workplace
How long is it?
3 Hours and 15 minutes.
How many can attend?
To ensure smooth running of the workshops we require a minimum of 7 participants and no more than 15.
How is it delivered?
Face to face or online via Zoom or MS Teams (please let us know if you require a different platform and we will do our best to accommodate you)
Who is this for?
This workshop is for employees (at non-management levels) who wish to learn more about grief and how it can impact themselves and others. It helps build employees confidence in discussing difficult topics like death and supporting others around this and contributing to a healthier workplace culture. The workshop format is an interactive adult learning approach that draws on the experiences of the participants to engage with the content and other attendees. It requires active participation to ensure attendees get the most from the workshop.
What will I learn?
On successful completion of this workshop, you will be able to:
- Describe the types of grief that employees can experience which could impact the workplace
- Summarise the common components of the grieving experience and how they may apply to our own life losses
- Consider appropriate responses and language which can be used to support a colleague/employee who is grieving
- How to practice self-care in the context of grief in the workplace
How long is it?
2 hours
How many can attend?
To ensure smooth running of the workshops we require a minimum of 7 participants and no more than 15.
How is it delivered?
Face to face or online via Zoom, or MS Teams (please let us know if you require a different platform and we will do our best to accommodate you.
Grief in the Workplace: Self-Directed eLearning Courses
Our eLearning Hub includes a range of free and paid interactive courses on coping with Grief in the Workplace.
Some of our free courses include:
Publications and Resources
Read more about grief and IHF support and resources in our Bereavement and Loss Hub.
This is a very detailed guide on what to do when suicide occurs in a workplace/when a staff member is bereaved by suicide, in terms of practical advice on supporting employees and the family of the bereaved employee and also, some guidance on the emotional support that workplaces can provide. It is informed by lived experience of people who have lost someone through suicide and workplaces who have had to deal with this extremely sad and traumatic situation. We hope that you never have to deal with this but we do send this to workplaces so they can be prepared in case such a crisis occurs.
Visit the Responding to Suicide – A Guide for Employers page
All employees are welcome to call our a national freephone service 1800 80 70 77 available from 10am to 1pm, Monday to Friday.
Here they can speak to trained volunteer about the death of someone they knew or cared about and receive support and information that may help them.
More information on the Bereavement Support Line
Our Grief in the Workplace Information Leaflet on supporting a bereaved colleague, has useful tips to share with your employees. It shows employees that you are acknowledging their grief and that your organisation recognises there is a workplace responsibility to support people when grieving.
Find all leaflets we have which you can order for your organisation here.
The following Seed Grant Projects show creative community projects designed to help people express their grief and tell their story. You may find these a good talking point for your employees and it can help open up the conversation around grief.
Read more about our Caru programme supporting Nursing Home staff in Ireland
