A Death in the Family

It’s not realistic to expect that employees can leave the impact of personal tragedies at home. The effects of death, divorce, accidents, serious illness, or other personal crises frequently carry over into the workplace and must be dealt with.

Even the most compassionate supervisors might find themselves at a loss when faced with a grieving employee. Companies can ease the stress of difficult situations by establishing procedures before they are needed. The grief may not be reduced, but there is a certain amount of comfort when both the employer and employee know what the rules are and what to expect.

Many companies limit their written policies to guidelines on the amount of time off an employee may take when there is a death in the family. Other policies are typically unwritten and may vary, depending on the specific situation and the employee involved. The key is to remember that support at work is critical, especially when the employee has lost a loved one.

Notifying fellow employees of a death in a co-worker’s family is a delicate task. A good approach is to take aside key associates of the person affected and let them know first in a face-to-face meeting. Those people are able to provide both work-related and personal support. Then issue a simple memo to inform the rest of the staff.

Most companies arrange for flowers to be sent and will frequently have an official representative at the funeral. Don’t allow the survivor’s co-workers to develop the impression that there is nothing else to be done. The people in the office will want to do something but they may feel a sense of helplessness and may not be sure what to do. Invite people to be involved on a purely optional basis in what is being done to help the employee and the family.

Remember that the need for support doesn’t end when the funeral is over. There may be some inconsistencies in the employee’s work for as much as a year afterward. People who have experienced a loss may initially bury themselves in their work and be tremendously productive and then a few months later might show a sharp decline in performance. Before taking any disciplinary steps, consider the level the employee was working on prior to the loss and make any evaluations based on that.

Performance problems may prompt a grieving employee to ask for a demotion to a job that is easier to handle or to consider leaving the company altogether. This is not the time to make such decisions. Encourage employees who have experienced a loss to not make any other major changes in their lives for at least a year.

The practical side to this compassionate attitude is that the expense of replacing trained, experienced people is usually greater than the expense of helping them work through a difficult situation.

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