The loss of a loved one can have a profound impact and at times can be difficult to navigate. We know employers are looking for ways to support their employees who are experiencing grief. 2020 has also created unique challenges in dealing with grief and bereavement. In this episode of Lincoln Leads we’ll discuss how employers can support their employees through these difficult times and offer solutions to help with the emotional and mental health implications of experiencing a loss.
Links to resources mentioned in the episode:
GP-LLGBW-AUD001 3/23 Z01 LCN-5505923-031023
© 2023 Lincoln National Corporation. All rights reserved.
The loss of a loved one can have a profound impact and at times can be difficult to navigate. We know employers are looking for ways to support their employees who are experiencing grief. 2020 has also created unique challenges in dealing with grief and bereavement. In this episode of Lincoln Leads we’ll discuss how employers can support their employees through these difficult times and offer solutions to help with the emotional and mental health implications of experiencing a loss.
Links to resources mentioned in the episode:
GP-LLGBW-AUD001 3/23 Z01 LCN-5505923-031023
© 2023 Lincoln National Corporation. All rights reserved.
Hi everyone. This is Lauren Gawlik marketing manager at Lincoln Financial Group. Grief and bereavement is a common challenge for employers. By some estimates, at least 5% of all workers experience loss of a loved one each year. And these events have profound emotional health and employment impacts. And now in the COVID epidemic, there are even more losses and barriers to overcome while going through the normal grieving process at Lincoln Financial, we've been thinking a lot about how we can support employers to better help their employees through these challenging times. In this episode of Lincoln Leads, we are very happy to have two leaders in this area to share their ideas about what employers can do to help. Dr. Glenn Pransky is a physician and researcher on work and disability from the University of Massachusetts Medical School and scientific advisor for Lincoln Financial Group. He has recently coauthored a white paper on grief in the workplace with Ray Digiovanni assistant vice president, responsible for Lincoln's group life insurance products. Thanks to both of you for joining us today. Let's start off with a few questions. Ray, why is this such an important topic right now?
Ray Digiovanni:Sure. And, and hi Lauren, like you said, Lauren, I think, you know, almost every employee will experience, you know, the loss of a loved one during their employment and let's face it probably more than once. I mean, it's all part of the cycle of life. But it is becoming more common and, you know, sort of as the population ages, people are working longer. And now on top of that, we have the COVID epidemic and we're seeing actually seeing a surge in mortality. For example, in April, the death rate in New York city was almost six times higher than normal. So how employers respond can make a huge difference in their employees' mental and physical health, as well as productivity and just readjustment to a normal work environment. So this was already an important topic and even more so today with the COVID crisis.
Lauren Gawlik:Yeah, definitely. Thanks Ray. Dr. Pransky, you've done a lot of research on the grieving process. What should we expect now?
Dr. Glenn Pransky:Well, Lauren, after the loss of a loved one, it's common to feel numb, profound sadness, despair, denial, and helplessness. People during this time usually have trouble concentrating, remembering things, and they may have obsessive thoughts about their lost loved one. Usually this gradually resolves over weeks or months, but there can be emotional swings and other issues that continue for some time. I think it's helpful to think about the process of grieving is one of acceptance and readjustment to a new reality. The rituals and emotional expressions can be very different depending upon what someone's culture and background are, but you know, there's one universal principle and that's that all cultures place great importance on social support as key to recovering, restoring and accepting a new normal state. So thinking about this Ray, how has the COVID epidemic impacted this?
Ray Digiovanni:Yeah, well, the social support, you mentioned Glenn, it's obviously problematic with social distancing. Loved ones are often all alone when they pass without that direct support of family and friends by their side. Obviously this can be very upsetting for families to deal with. And on top of that, the family is unable to have a normal funeral or memorial service, so that adds another barrier to social support and resolution. Glenn, just curious, like what are some of the other factors that might make the grieving process more difficult?
Dr. Glenn Pransky:So, yes, Ray, there's been a lot of research on this and um, some of the research shows that deaths during an epidemic or that are unexpected or sudden traumatic, or the depth of someone really close like a spouse, a child, or a young person are especially hard for family members and then people who have significant unresolved issues with the deceased or worries about the care that their loved one received right before they passed, or maybe previous bad experiences around grieving. These people often have more severe grief reactions. Oh. And people who have a history of significant psychologic depression are more likely to suffer a more severe grief reaction.
Ray Digiovanni:Glenn, what are some of these problematic grief reactions, and how often do they occur?
Dr. Glenn Pransky:Ray, I think it's helpful to think about two different conditions. One is one that we call complicated grief. This one happens in about 10% of all people who have lost someone close to them. It's like normal grief in some ways, uh, with many of the things that I mentioned before, but more persistent lasting several months or more. These folks have trouble concentrating, they can feel hopeless, sad, they often have trouble enjoying things they used to like, and they can have obsessive thoughts about the departed person, but these problems aren't constant. They still have times during most days when they can function normally. So if people have this problem of complicated grief, for many of them, the most effective treatment is a form of cognitive behavioral therapy. And what this is, is working with a trained therapist who helps them accept the new reality without their loved one, and also helps them reframe their perspective on moving on in their life without the loved one that they lost.
Ray Digiovanni:And we sometimes see people go on disability for depression related to a loss. How often does that happen?
Dr. Glenn Pransky:Yes, Ray you're right. That's the other grief related condition. And we worry about this more. This happens, major depression, to about 2% to 4% of all people. Who've had a significant loss. These people have the same symptoms as those people with complicated grief, but they also may a very depressed mood and their symptoms don't go away. It's constant. And they often have a lot of trouble functioning normally in day-to-day activities. They may have loss of self worth, even a desire to hurt themselves. People who've had significant clinical depression before, they are at higher risk of developing grief related clinical depression after a loss. This is a really serious psychiatric condition, and there's actually a relatively high risk of suicide with this condition. So I think it's very important to refer these people for treatment right away. The good news is that they often respond quite well to medications and counseling. Ray, we've talked about the impact of grief to people personally. How about the impact in the workplace? What have we learned?
Ray Digiovanni:Sure. There have been many studies showing that grief has a major impact on employees in terms of their concentration, productivity, creativity, and absenteeism. We know these impacts are common, very significant in over 40% of those who lost a loved one. And these can persist for months. It's especially challenging for employees who lose a child, no surprise there, but almost half say that they still have lower productivity up to five years later. One researcher estimated that the total impact of grief on productivity and absenteeism is as much as the total impact of all anxiety and depression diagnoses combined. And we're talking$80 billion a year in lost productivity.
Dr. Glenn Pransky:Wow that's a lot, that's a huge impact. So with all of this impact, what are we doing in the workplace to help employees?
Ray Digiovanni:Well, in our culture, we're often told to leave our emotions and personal problems at home. So there's a tendency to avoid grief issues at work, but it's unavoidable, right? I mean, sadness crying, other strong emotions come out and coworkers and supervisors don't know how to respond. So they tend to avoid the grieving person. Of course, that only further increases the feeling of the bereaved that he or she is not cared for by their coworkers. And as you've reminded me, Glenn grief by itself is not a medical diagnosis. So grief reactions fall through the cracks of medical care and counseling. But we've learned a lot from occupations that deal with death often, healthcare emergency response, hospice, and funeral services. For example, they've had to figure it out and have come up with some good strategies to support employees who are dealing with loss. There are several areas that HR experts from these organizations and other employers have focused on. Employers outside of these industries have adapted their strategies and are seeing better outcomes after an employee suffers a loss.
Dr. Glenn Pransky:Yes, I agree. We've learned a lot from the experience of these sorts of employers. So let's start with the first step in terms of helping employees, advanced planning.
Ray Digiovanni:Right. And this actually starts before the loss, think about the fact that the most common, significant loss for an employee will be an elderly parent or a family member with a chronic illness. If there's agreement in advance about end of life wishes, acceptance that their loved one received the right care and a specific will and directions for taking care of finances and assets, it all goes much more smoothly. Employees who have conversations about these issues before a loved one passes are 53% less likely to have complicated grief, 50% less likely to have grief related, major depression and less likely to have prolonged work absence. So this is one straightforward thing that every employer can do. And that's encourage their employees to have these conversations and resolve these issues with their parents and spouses.
Dr. Glenn Pransky:Yes, that's a great idea. So what sort of tools are available to help them with having these conversations? Aren't people really reluctant to talk about this with their loved ones.
Ray Digiovanni:That's a great point. There are some great new free online tools, The Conversation Project being one of those that's about end of life planning, end of life care and other topics. In addition to that, Lincoln Financial developed a brochure called taking the next step that describes all of the administrative issues that family members have to address after a loved one passes. So it's a good checklist to think of in advance. It has links to topics on estate planning, creating a will, managing your digital legacy and other issues. In one study, we saw 92% of elderly parents wanted to have a discussion with their adult children about end of life and related issues, but only 32% actually had the conversation. So that reluctance you mentioned, Glenn is certainly real. So assuming we get everyone on board with this, Glenn, what should happen when we find out an employee has lost a loved one?
Dr. Glenn Pransky:Well, I think it's really important for employers to make sure that their initial response is the right one. And I think it's worth training supervisors to make sure this happens. And what does that mean? Of course it's appropriate to communicate your condolences about the loss, but after that, it's equally important to ask the bereaved what they want and what they need, because there are so many differences based on individual preferences, culture, and these can change over time. Some employees might want an open discussion with their coworkers and manager. Some might want a representative of the workplace to be present at the funeral, or they may want some announcement of the loss at the workplace and permission to express their emotions at work. But I know that other employees would feel that any of this is intrusive and just want to be left alone. You know, the most common complaint in studies that we hear from grieving employees about their employer or their workplace, is that either no one asked them what they needed or coworkers told them how they should feel. I think it's good for supervisors to check in on a regular basis to see how the grieving employee is doing and what they can do to help, because this is going to change over time. One thing in this digital world that we have to really get a handle on is avoiding workplace communication between the time of the loss and after the funeral. Emails, phone calls, et cetera, these can all be very intrusive. So setting up auto forwarding for phone and email is a really good idea. Ray, how about the leave aspect of this? What have you seen that works best for bereavement leave and return to work afterwards?
Ray Digiovanni:Well, many employers offer just a day or two of bereavement leave. So really not enough time for funeral arrangements, mourning periods and recovery from what is a disabling and profound life event for many people. So these short leave periods force people to go to a doctor to get a medical diagnosis, to stay out longer, and this can lead to unnecessary treatment and medications for grief that aren't helpful and can actually be harmful, in some cases. Some data suggests that the amount of sick leave related to bereavement is two to five times the days taken off that are designated as bereavement leave. We're seeing even more of this in the COVID era where employees aren't able to complete the normal mourning process because they weren't at the bedside, couldn't have a normal funeral and weren't able to have their loved ones around for support. So they'll need more help and maybe a longer leave period. The good news is my peers in absence management are seeing more employers who recognize this problem and are providing more support and more flexible bereavement leave. So after a funeral, it's a good idea to discuss return, to work with the employee, find out what they feel they are capable of doing, and perhaps try a gradual return to work, just to see how it goes. Again, for some people work is a welcome return to a stable routine, distracting them from their grief. For others, it's just impossible to concentrate and futile to be at work at all. Some temporary accommodations and changes in assignments may be needed here. Flexibility, of course, is the key word. The better employers recognize that productivity will gradually return and patience with the grieving employee is so important. Glenn, you also mentioned complicated grief and depression.
Dr. Glenn Pransky:Yes, Ray, these are that I hope supervisors will recognize, and I hope that they will encourage the employees who have these issues to get to the right resources. As I mentioned before, the right treatment can make a major difference. It's a good idea to refer affected employees to the company's employee assistance program, or maybe a local hospice agency. These agencies have the expertise to make an assessment and refer someone for further treatment if it's needed. It's really important to get this started if an employee has a significant clinical depression.
Ray Digiovanni:One topic that I think needs more attention is the death of a coworker. This can have a profound effect, especially in a small close knit group of coworkers.
Dr. Glenn Pransky:Yes. I know. I experienced that personally in my former job, our group didn't deal with the loss very well and it significantly affected our productivity and our relationships at work for more than a year. The manager was grieving and also had to deal with grieving coworkers. And he just didn't know how they should communicate with the deceased worker's family. What do you suggest Ray?
Ray Digiovanni:Well, we've discussed some of these principles already. First, the company should develop a plan in advance with defined responsibilities, sort of who's doing what and when, but the main principles are similar to what we've discussed. You know, first acknowledge the loss, recognize that coworker's may each deal with this very differently. As a supervisor, you want to set aside time to reflect collectively as a team and also provide time for individuals to reflect on their own. As a supervisor, you want to check in periodically with each team member, see how they're doing with the loss, and obviously, you know, check in as needed for those that are having trouble with it. You also want to talk with the deceased's family early on to find out if they want somebody at the workplace, you know, at the funeral or memorial service and ask them what they would like communicated back to coworkers. Of course, survivors of the deceased worker will need information on benefits from the employer. And we recommend a dedicated human resource representative as the best source for this. The work group should also talk about the best way to memorialize the coworker and how to move on without creating an unwelcome reminder that might be a de-motivator for some employees, particularly newer employees. Of course, temporary redistribution of work early on is necessary. But the timing of permanent readjustment, maybe cleaning out the employee's office, et cetera is also important, but there's a trade off between being perceived as insensitive versus having the process just drag on too long. And then if the work group appears to be stuck, engage those outside resources we mentioned that have expertise in recovery from grief, perhaps an employee assistance program, or a local hospice agency. Lastly, I'll mention that we developed an informational brochure here at Lincoln on the topic of loss of a coworker. It has some additional details and some really good references it's called moving forward. And there's a link available in the description of this episode.
Dr. Glenn Pransky:Thanks Ray. Those are really excellent points. I wish you had been there. When we went through this at my former job.
Lauren Gawlik:I want to thank both of you for your insights and time today. This has been a really great conversation. Definitely gives employers a lot to think about.
Dr. Glenn Pransky:Thanks for this opportunity, Lauren. I hope this will be helpful. It doesn't take a tremendous amount of effort to get this right, but getting it right makes a significant difference.
Ray Digiovanni:I agree. Thanks for the opportunity to share this really important information.
Lauren Gawlik:To everyone listening, thank you for joining us. We will continue to cover topics that help employers and their employees navigate through this new environment. So be sure to subscribe to Lincoln Leads on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Disclosures:The information contained in this podcast is for general use and is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney or your human resource professional. Lincoln Financial Group is the marketing name for Lincoln national corporation and its affiliates. Affiliates are separately responsible for their own financial and contractual obligations.