It's a Matter of Heart

Fate played a part in selecting the topic for this post.  When it touches us, it is usually difficult for someone.  I write this as a dear friend is passing.  

There are no federal employment or labor laws nor are there state mandates regarding bereavement, each company sets its own policy.  I’ve worked in a variety of industries and for companies in all stages of life.  Each had it’s own policy/guideline on bereavement leave.  Some more generous than others.  

My recommendation: provide as generous a policy/guideline as possible, as everyone handles these things differently.  A typical scenario when someone passes:

• A day at the funeral home.  
• A day for planning the memorial/funeral and grieving.  
• A day for the funeral/memorial service and related gathering(s).  
• Travel time if the loss is out of state.  

Things you can do for the staff/affected staff member:

• Be compassionate.  People, after hearing of a tragedy, cannot return to productive work immediately.  They’ll make mistakes because they’re distracted by the event or information.  Tell them it’s OK to focus their energy on what’s happening.  If you do this sincerely, most people will return more quickly to productive work when their need for information and interests are satisfied.  
• Call a meeting, with permission from the affected staff member, explain the situation.
• Allow people to help.  People want to do something to help solve the problem or ease the situation.  They want to bring food for the affected family, send flowers, send memories, give donations to the charity of choice.  Give them an outlet.
• Be available.  Have the management and HR available to the affected staff.  Be visible, walk around, offer an ear.
• If your company has an EAP or other counseling through a health plan, make it known that it’s available.  Explore the possibilities of on-site counseling if needed.
• Train your staff about grief, how to handle it.  Teach them about the stages of grief, how to deal with their own grief and that of co-workers, how to explain to children about a tragedy... All of this supports the grieving co-worker, the workplace morale and builds staff self confidence in a positive way while lessening the long term impacts of tragedy.  

If your company has a bereavement policy/guideline and/or a giving policy/guideline, make sure the staff are aware of the policy(ies)/guideline(s), post them on your Intranet if you have one.  

Don’t allow the bottom line to be the ultimate driver of your bereavement policy/guideline.  It’s a matter of heart.  

Terri Albee is a seasoned independent consultant whose practice has a primary focus on total compensation.  She has worked in a variety of industry verticals from start-up/entrepreneurial organizations to the Fortune 500, with both domestic and global responsibility.  Her experience encompasses design and implementation of total reward plans at all levels, from the Board of Directors on down.  She earned her B.S. in Business Economics from Regis University.

Comments

[Cheryl Griffiths]

Hi,

We were recently contacted by Commpassionate Friends in Australia and your article reminded me about them. Thought you might be interested in knowing about their 2010 Compassionate Employer Recognition Program, which honours employers who demonstrate high levels of compassion, care, empathy and generosity to bereaved employees.

http://www.compassionatefriendsvictoria.org.au/employer_awards.htm

We recently sent info out to our readers about them.

Cheryl Griffiths
Return To Work Matters - www.rtwmatters.org

[Terri Albee]

Cheryl thank you for sharing. It's nice to see companies being rewarded for being compassionate and this organization has been recognizing the importance by making these awards for years.