Supporting employees to manage bereavement
Supporting employees to manage bereavement
The UK EAPA vice-chair Andrew Kinder recently wrote a highly insightful piece for Mad World news surrounding the difficult topic of bereavement, and how to manage it in the workplace.
Here is an edited version, or you can also read the whole thing on the Mad World website, here.
“Bereavement is such a highly emotive topic, that line managers can feel very uncomfortable about what should and shouldn’t be said. It can be easier for them to be cold, to see a bereavement as being irrelevant to the job that needs to be done; or struggle when they’ve had their own recent deaths to deal with and become like a counsellor with their team member.
It’s an example of where an EAP comes into its own. Professional support is important in being able to understand the full picture of what’s happened. The impact of a bereavement covers a spectrum depending on the nature of the relationship, whether there are any other factors to deal with – if the last contact had been negative, if relations had been strained for some time, if there was a suicide – what can sometimes turn into “complicated grief”.
An EAP professional will be able to explore the level of significance in the employee’s life and unpick complexities. It’s a difficult conversation to have, that needs time and sensitivity. The EAP will also provide support on practical matters: funeral arrangements, dealing with belongings, the sale of property, how to look after other members of the family who might now need more help themselves.
Managers shouldn’t have to act as counsellors themselves, but need to be able to signpost to the EAP and provide the necessary understanding. They should also be aware of cultural differences – some are more demonstrative about grief than the traditional ‘British’ reserve on such matters.
Depending on the degree of impact, people may need time off or some temporary reduction in workload. At the same time, it’s important to remember the value of work in helping staff and that it can be a welcome distraction from worries and negative feelings.
Managers need to ensure there’s always a discussion of individual needs, some empathy, that they are not imposing their thinking or solutions and they don’t expect people to just ‘go back to normal’. In some situations, a bereavement can mean there is no ‘normal’ anymore, they need time to re-make themselves, and their relationships with work.”
EAPA is delighted to be a supporting partner of the Mad World Summit 2019, to promote best practice in mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. Mad World stands for Make a difference.
The Mad World Summit is a global conference and exhibition dedicated to making a difference to mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. It’s a unique event where early movers and visionary pioneers are working together both to advance the agenda and engage new voices.
The event will take place on 9 October 2019, the day before World Mental Health Day, at 133 Houndsditch in Central London.
For details of the fantastic line up of speakers visit www.madworldsummit.com. Register here using the EAPA discount code EAPA for 50% off both the group and single ticket rates.
See the summit’s social media tags:
#MADWorldLDN – for both Twitter and LinkedIn
@mad-world-summit – for LinkedIn
@mad-world-forum – Twitter handle