Grief in The Workplace
One thing that cannot be overlooked is the hidden cost of grief in the workplace.
More companies understand the importance of the overall well-being of their work force.
It’s been said for years that your home life should not be brought to work. Yet for so many of us, we spend more of our waking time at work, so is this mandate of work/home separation realistic?
Probably not.
What does grief in the workplace look like?
If an employee has just experienced a death of an immediate family member, a typical amount of time off is three days.
But does grieving stop after three days?
Grievers can experience symptoms such as lack of concentration, trouble focusing, sleeplessness or sleeping too much, a sense of numbness, irritability, and waves of emotions.
Do we have the ability to turn these symptoms off at work? It’s not likely.
And the more we try not to grieve at work the worse it may likely become over the long haul, which can then impact physical health.
Death is just one cause of grief.
What about the employee that experiences divorce, the loss of their beloved pet, infertility, their loved one getting dementia, or the more than 40 types of losses that can cause grief?
All these grieving scenarios can, and do, have a cost to the bottom line in the workplace.
Measured in 2003, The Grief Recovery Institute found that grief was costing U.S. businesses over $75 billion annually and is estimated today to be over $117 billion. A few ways this was measured was through absenteeism, workplace accidents, burying grief with substances (addiction), and physical as well as emotional health issues.
So, what can companies do?
Companies should develop resiliency programs and sensitivity training for working with those that are grieving.
When a griever has a supportive company culture, it allows the griever to go through the grieving process without pretending all in “fine.”
EAP programs are good, but not everyone wants therapy and not all therapists specialize in grief. Employers need other resources and other local alternatives in addition to therapy to offer their employees.
We offer sensitivity and resiliency training for organizations. In addition, we offer group or one-on-one assistance for employees who have experienced a significant loss and need assistance. Emotional health is a key driver to the bottom line of the business, and we can help to minimize the negative impact of grief in your workplace.
The impact of grief touches every part of our lives.
Grief can and will interfere with productivity and impact the bottom line in your workplace.
Whether you wish to educate your workforce in how to support one another when someone is grieving or you have an employee in need of support for a specific loss, we can help.
Call to discuss training and various resources you can offer your employees: (469) 706-0993.