Grief at Work: Understanding its Impact and Crafting Supportive Solutions

Gina Pingitore, PhD, Elizabeth Power, M.Ed, Daven Morrison, MD, Carin Knoop*

In the United States, the annual mortality rate stands at roughly 2.8 million, translating to an average of 7,600 deaths each day. While these figures have seen minor fluctuations over the decade (e.g. COVID 19 resulted in a significant increase), the percentage of deaths relative to the population has consistently hovered around 1%.

Notably, an estimated 30% of these deaths occur unexpectedly, leaving many individuals unprepared for the ensuing grief. With such high numbers, it’s inevitable that many of us and our colleagues will experience grief while juggling professional responsibilities.

Although ≈167 Million people make up the US workforce, the process of grieving is profound and highly individual, affecting not only personal lives but also professional performance and overall health. Numerous studies, including our own, reveal that working individuals who experience a significant loss are more likely to feel heightened stress and more physical and emotional symptoms than workers who have not faced such a loss. Socio-economic factors intensify these psychological effects, with individuals from lower and middle-income brackets reporting greater stress and grief.

For many individuals and families, there might also be grief about lives not yet lived — per year in the United States, women and their partners experience nearly 1 million miscarriages, 20,000 stillbirths, and 930,000 abortions. The loss is usually hidden.

The Significance of Addressing Grief in the Workplace:

Despite its certainty, the topic of grief remains largely unaddressed in professional environments. There are factors within the workplace and outside which leave workers who grieve, and those who work with them, unprepared.

Broader forces outside work are many but we see two that are critical to understanding why there’s a significant challenge.

• The mechanization of medical and hospice care has distanced us from the realities of death.
• Traditional models of grief may not fully encapsulate the varied experiences of those mourning, as grief is a deeply personal journey.

Contemporary perspectives view grief as an ongoing process, with the bereaved learning to live with their loss rather than returning to a pre-loss state.

Various theories and models offer insights into the grieving process, emphasizing the importance of identifying a model that resonates with the individual’s experience. The global discourse on grief is moving towards recognizing its complexity and the need for tailored approaches that account for cultural diversity.

Work focuses on “SOP’s,” Grieving Employees are Sending “SOS’s”

Workplace support for grieving employees is heavily influenced by societal attitudes towards death and mourning. And the workplace itself creates obstacles.

We see three:

• Isolation related to and persisting after Covid
• Demographic changes leading to an aging workforce with a broad range of generations
• Workplace policies themselves

The transition to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced new challenges in providing grief support. Employers are encouraged to adopt flexible work arrangements and develop policies that accommodate the needs of those experiencing loss, emphasizing the role of colleagues and management in fostering a supportive environment.

Demographic changes, particularly an aging workforce, underscore the growing presence of grief in the workplace. Employers are advised to extend support through measures like extended bereavement leave,

flexible scheduling, and access to grief and estate management services. The economic impact of grief on businesses is significant, with productivity losses related to grief estimated at up to $75 billion annually.

Workplace policies on grief and bereavement are varied, While some states have specific laws regarding bereavement leave, employers largely have the flexibility to decide who can take bereavement leave and for how long . Typically, policies allow for three to four days off for the loss of an immediate family member, but often do not account for the long-term nature of grief.

Supporting Sorrow: Guidance for Workplace Leaders

We advocate for workplace investment in leadership education on grief, training for HR and management, the development of compassionate leave policies, and the provision of resources like counseling or support groups. Workplaces should cultivate an environment that encourages open dialogue about grief and acknowledges its personal nature.

1. Rekindle the skills of soothing: Workplaces benefit from fostering skills that resonate and help those grieving, acknowledging that each situation is unique. Soothing starts with embracing emotional resonance, developing reality-based interactions, and knowing that appropriate pacing is crucial. This means the workplaces benefit from would do well to heightening the awareness of and skills forwith soothing.

2. Recognize and Honor Grief: Managers should acknowledge an employee’s loss and respect their grieving process, understanding that work performance may be impacted. Managers and fellow employees also should not presume to know how the employee might be feeling.

3. Provide Talent Development Training for Managers: Training programs can equip managers with the skills to support a grieving workforce, debunk grief myths, and facilitate collective mourning discussions.

4. Encourage Transparent Communication: Honest conversations about emotional needs and preferences for support can create a more nurturing work environment.

5. Facilitate Access to Professional Resources: Referrals to community organizations, support groups, and treatment facilities offer additional support. Employee assistance programs and grief counselors are also valuable.

6. Extend Support and Flexibility: Managers should provide support, reduce workloads, and maintain regular check-ins to gauge employee well-being. Flexible work options can be beneficial.

7. Implement Comprehensive Bereavement Leave Policies: Clear bereavement leave policies, including leave request procedures and tracking systems, are essential. More generous time off and scheduling flexibility can enhance employee loyalty.

Future Prospects: Challenges and Opportunities

A challenge is the lack of awareness and understanding of grief in the workplace, which can lead to insufficient support and unrealistic expectations post-loss.

However, this also presents an opportunity for improvement in workplace support systems, fostering a culture of compassion, and enhancing employee well-being and productivity.

As awareness of mental health and well-being grows, so does the demand for better grief support, presenting an opportunity for workplaces to lead in creating supportive environments for grieving employees. Further research could investigate specific strategies and interventions effective in diverse corporate settings.

The End Notes:

The research employed a combination of primary qualitative and quantitative methods, including surveys (n=5,350), in-depth-interviews (IDI’s n=25), and focus groups (n=4), to understand the grieving process from individuals with diverse experiences. Findings were also supported by numerous prior published articles and reports (references are available upon request).

Other references are available here.

*Please share your feedback, experience and suggestions with us! Gina Pingitore, Elizabeth Power, Daven Morrison, and Carin-Isabel Knoop.