Episode 49 - Grief in the workplace

At some point in our lives, every single one of us will experience grief.  None of us are immune to it.   Grief is the price we pay for love.   If we love, we grieve.  That’s the deal.  

And yet, even though death is something every one of us will encounter, we rarely talk about it openly.

That silence creates stigma and it can leave people feeling incredibly alone at a time they need the most support.

This is especially true in the workplace, a place where many of us spend the majority of our waking hours.

The bills don’t stop, so many people return to work while navigating a life-altering loss, expected to function, perform and carry on as if nothing has changed.

Grief doesn’t switch off for 40 hours a week just because we are at work. 
 

And yet, so often, we’re expected to push our feelings aside, keep going and carry on as though everything is the same. But for some people returning to work when they are trying to deal with a loss, is incredibly difficult.  Perhaps they are navigating life after the loss of a spouse whilst also becoming a single parent. 

We are human first and employees second.  Today we are going to explore with a HR consultant Steph Bell and talk about how we can navigate returning to work after loss.