Supporting staff through bereavement
Welcome back to another blog, where this week, I’ll be exploring how business owners, Management and colleagues can support staff through bereavement. If you’d like to know more about how you can help staff and colleagues through these challenging times, then please keep reading.
Link between trauma and poor work performance
It’s no surprise that work performance suffers after the death of a relative or friend. Emotional stress, sleepless nights and the physical stress and upset of making funeral arrangements and sorting other end-of life-formalities can have a huge impact on mood, self-confidence and the ability to be able to perform.
For those in any job, the thought of simply ‘carrying on’ can be too much to handle, leaving those affected feeling angry, resentful and depressed.
Supportive words of comfort
For staff members and colleagues, many will choose to return to work as soon as possible following a close bereavement. For those that choose to do this, it could be that they need to feel an element of ‘normality’ and feel comforted by that routine. It can be very difficult to know what to say to staff affected by grief. A lot of people choose to not speak about their loss, and will even refrain from offering words of comfort in order to avoid upsetting conversations.
Having been through this myself, I would encourage supervisors and managers to keep in close touch with their staff. Check in with how they are emotionally and offer words of comfort and support in any way you can. It’s important not to isolate those staff members or allow them to isolate themselves, segregation can lead to further feelings of resentment towards work and colleagues and it’s important to monitor the welfare of staff coming to terms with loss.
Helpful work adjustments
There are many adjustments that could support staff affected by loss. This could simply be affording them compassionate leave or allowing them to work from home for a short time whilst finalising funeral arrangements. It could be adjusting their Leave Policy and offering an additional few days of annual leave so that they are not forced to use all of their holiday allocation grieving. Or it could simply be, showing some consideration to their current needs and offering additional support.
Thoughtful gifts
Often when affected staff members are part of a team, there are often colleagues and friends that want to contribute towards a small gift to support that staff member through bereavement.
Flowers often fall short when it comes to showing staff that you truly care about their feelings so why not gift a copy of If Heaven had a Postcode?
If Heaven had a Postcode is the perfect thoughtful gift for any staff member suffering a bereavement. An 88-page keepsake that promises to keep precious memories alive year after year.
Give the gift of precious memories to a staff member needing some support, this book promises to hold their hand through the difficult times and provide an uplifting space of remembrance moving forward.
Buy If Heaven had a Postcode here www.ifheavenhadapostcode.com
I hope this Blog has given you a helpful insight into supporting staff through bereavement
For more of my blogs and information on bereavement, mental health and keeping precious memories alive then revisit this blog,
With love,
Sabrina x