Grief from Personal Losses in the Workplace

How Private Losses Can Affect A Person's Work Performance

Aug 23, 2009 Kirsti A. Dyer

Grief is an overwhelming response to loss. Unfortunately, grief does not go away while a grieving person goes to work. Grieving a loss can affect a person's work.

Loss affects everyone at some time, whether it is the loss of a loved one, the loss of health or the loss of a relationship. Many of these losses that people experience are personal or private losses.

Grief is the normal response to a loss that results in physical, emotional, behavioral and social reactions. Grief can be an overwhelming response that affects a person for weeks to months after the loss. Grief can also impact the friends, family and co-workers of those grieving the loss.

A person grieving a personal loss can affect many others including employees, co-workers and managers in the workplace.

Types of Losses

The most common personal loss people identify are losses due to death, yet there are many other losses that people may experience in their lifetimes. Some of these losses include:

• Death of loved one
• Relationship or divorce
• Diagnosis with chronic or terminal illness
• Stillbirth or miscarriage
• Infertility
• Financial losses
• Job loss
• Death of extended family, friends, co-workers or colleagues
• Death of a pet
• Loss of health
• Moving or relocating
• Downsizing
• Change in family - new child, empty nest, caring for aging parents

All of these losses can result in a grief response to these life changes and challenges which can significantly impair a person's work performance.

Trying to estimate the potential number of people who might be grieving can be difficult. Adding up the total number of people who could be experiencing any of these losses at any one time would be in the millions.

Effect of Grief

A grieving person experiencing a loss can experience many responses to the loss both physical and physical which can impact their ability to function at work.

The physical symptoms of grief can include changes in weight, fatigue, headaches, palpitations, chest pain, stomach aches and intestinal distress. Experiencing these symptoms could be disruptive to a person's work performance potentially requiring time off to evaluate and treat the symptoms.

The emotional responses to grief include feelings of disbelief, helplessness, sadness, denial, anxiety, numbness, irritability, apathy and problems concentrating. These types of responses, particularly the irritability, apathy and problems concentrating can have a major impact on the workplace.

Impact of Grief in the Workplace

As noted in The Impact of Grief and Loss on the Workplace conservative estimates of the value placed on losses to business in the United States from grief caused by the death of loved ones, divorce and other life events are more than $75 billion—and that was in 2003. Current losses would be much higher.

Finding ways to support grieving people in the workplace can help in reducing these costs.

How to Cope with Loss

The first thing that one needs to do when coping with a loss is to take care of him or herself and focus on the basics like being sure to take time to grieve, get enough sleep, exercise, eating healthy and using healthy coping strategies.

After a major loss, most people need to take some time off, especially in the case of a death. Mangers, human resource or Employee Assistance Program know the Bereavement Leave policies for the job. Some companies give paid bereavement leave, others give unpaid bereavement leave. Another option used by companies is to allow employees to take personal time off for bereavement or funeral leave.

A person grieving a loss is likely to return to the workplace after a few days of bereavement leave still grieving their loss and possibly still needing to attend to real needs after the loss, like reading of the will and settling the estate. Having a supportive work environment that includes understanding co-workers and managers goes a long way in helping a grieving person to begin the healing after experiencing a major loss.

Many people find talking to sympathetic managers may help in arranging for more flexible work schedules, getting assistance with projects or getting work loads reduced for a time after the loss. Being allowed to take brief grief breaks while at work can also be helpful in allowing the grieving person to refocus.

The grief following a major loss can impact people in all areas of their life including work. The grief response makes it difficult for people to concentrate in the work setting for weeks after the event. One way to help the grieving person return to full functioning at work is to provide a workplace environment that acknowledges the person's loss and supports them on their journey through grief.

Resources:

James J.W. and Friedman R. 2003. Grief Index: The "Hidden" Annual Costs of Grief in America's Workplace. The Grief Recovery Institute Educational Foundation, Inc.

The copyright of the article Grief from Personal Losses in the Workplace in Workplace Culture is owned by Kirsti A. Dyer. Permission to republish Grief from Personal Losses in the Workplace in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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