Supporting employees through grief
The majority of us experience grief at least once in our lives. Grief may be particularly felt during the festive period – it may be our first Christmas without a loved one, or we are simply reminded of how much we miss having them round the family dinner table.
As we edge towards Christmas, this week (2nd-8th December) marks National Grief Awareness Week (NGAW) in the UK, pioneered by The Good Grief Trust. NGAW was founded to raise awareness of and normalise grief. It helps to make grief a more comfortable topic to discuss and to ease the burden on people’s mental health during periods of grief and loss.
The impact of grief on employee wellbeing
In 2020, around 25% of UK employees (approximately 8 million people) experienced grief, with 5% experiencing intense grief (Sue Ryder, 2020). Intense grief in particular can lead to mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, which are only exacerbated when there is a lack of access to support early in the grieving process.
Employers owe a duty of care to their employees, but may too often fail to recognise the importance of providing such support to employees suffering grief and loss.
Inadequate workplace culture & bereavement policy
Whether consciously or not, employers often fail to foster a workplace culture in which employees feel comfortable discussing bereavement. Grief is swept under the rug and employees are expected ‘to get over it on their own’, notions which are only compounded by a lack of transparency and communication at work around grief:
Only 30% of employees say their managers have provided communication regarding bereavement (Sue Ryder, 2021)
Only 1 in every 3 employers have a dedicated bereavement policy (Marie Curie, 2021)
68% of employees do not know whether or not a bereavement policy even exists at their company (Sue Ryder, 2021)
Even when a bereavement policy is in place, these can fall short. Most bereavement policies fail to reference sources of bereavement support, focusing instead on entitlement to time off work. Even then, UK organisations on average offer employees only 3-5 days of bereavement leave, forcing them to return to work early (still suffering) or to take further time off work as holiday, sickness or unpaid leave. (Sue Ryder, 2021)
The impact of employee grief on businesses
Such lack of bereavement support and work flexibility is detrimental to UK businesses financially:
Grief costs the UK economy £23bn annually (through absenteeism, presenteeism and reduced employment)
56% of employees would consider quitting their job if not supported well through grief (Sue Ryder, 2021)
Employees record up to 30% lower productivity for the first 6 months after bereavement
Employees experiencing intense grief take on average 22 days off work within the first 6 months following a bereavement (Marie Curie, 2021)
It is clear that 3-5 days of bereavement leave is simply not sufficient enough time to process grief and come back to work with the energy and drive to perform productively. Such limited time off and lack of support can also breed resentment, thus increasing absenteeism, presenteeism and staff turnover.
Providing your employees with better bereavement support
While the length and intensity of the grieving process varies from person to person, there are certainly a number of ways in which employers can better support their employees through grief, and reap the rewards:
Compassion and open communication: offer sincere condolences and be understanding of their grief; maintain open channels of communication (including asking how they’d like to keep in touch during time off work); check in on employees regularly when they’ve returned to work – this shows your employees you really care about and value them
Allow adequate time off work: go beyond bereavement leave ‘entitlement’ and actively encourage your employees to take time off, without pressure to return before they’re ready – this may incur initial short-term costs, but will increase productivity and employee loyalty in the longer term
Provide workload flexibility: a lighter workload, remote working opportunities, alternative days/hours, different tasks or roles – greater flexibility encourages a quicker return to normal productivity levels, yet still with time and space for grieving and emotional recovery
Foster an open workplace environment: offer managers clear guidance and training around grief; upskill existing wellbeing champions/MHFAs or consider the introduction of ‘bereavement champions’; engage with events such as NGAW - educating staff helps to destigmatise grief and create a workplace culture that encourages open and supportive conversation
Call attention to external resources: signpost more expert support when needed, including charities, helplines and therapy groups – specialist help may help some employees to recover and return to work more quickly
Dedicated bereavement policy: create and regularly update a dedicated bereavement policy that encompasses 1-5 above, and be sure to clearly inform all staff about the policy and any changes made – clear policy provides easier and, crucially, earlier access to support, which can help to prevent intense grief
Bereavement feedback loop: gather feedback from employees on their experience in the workplace during periods of grief – such insight is invaluable in informing and/or altering your bereavement policy and improving support practices in future
See how we can help you to better understand your employees’ mental health and support them with whatever they may be going through. And read more on the fantastic work that The Good Grief Trust are doing to raise awareness of the impact of grief.
