Return to Work after Bereavement Leave: Employer Considerations
By Heidi Bimrose, CEAS, CRC
Regional Director, Health and Productivity Analytics and Consulting Practice
Prudential Group Insurance
By Cortney Silva, CDMS, LISW
Regional Director, Health and Productivity Analytics and Consulting Practice
Prudential Group Insurance
Nearly 72% of people have grieved over a life event in the past three years, including loss of a family member, close friend, or pet.1 The impact of losing a loved one, and the associated effect on a person’s mental well-being, should be a top concern for employers. Knowing the best way to address grief and death in the workplace is a common challenge. Just as there is no right way to grieve, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for supporting a grieving employee or colleague. While loss is a fact of life, grief is the reaction to that loss that must be worked through by the individual in their own way.
Employers should consider many practices for supporting individuals transitioning back to the workplace after the death of a loved one and over the long-term, as the grieving process can last and take many forms over subsequent weeks, months, and even years.
Personal Connection
The manager’s demonstration of support and how they handle the situation is especially important. Managers represent the organization, and bereavement has been described as “one of the most crucial experiences” a manager and employee can share. Grief experts caution that “they will remember how you handled this.”2 Managers can support employees and take some pressure off them by arranging for someone to back them up and help cover their work while they are gone to reduce that concern.
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