GriefLeaders Featured In SHRM Article-Leading When A Co-worker Dies

Many thanks to Arlene Hirsch and the folks at SHRM for reaching out to us to contribute to their recent article on how to handle the death of a co-worker.

The emotions of personal or organizational change always pose difficult leadership challenges.

The death of a co-worker is especially tricky because leaders often do not realize the depth of the relationships people form at work.

For some, the person is just an acquaintance.  For others, it may be their best friend.

Further complicating the situation are the circumstances surrounding the death that cause a person to take the loss surprisingly hard.

Leaders can, and often do, complicate the grief and emotions team members feel when they “misread” or, worse, elect to ignore what the team members are experiencing.  This complication is called disenfranchised grief, and it is a leading cause of a decline in engagement, morale, loyalty, and productivity.

Our tips to leaders in these situations?

⑴ Engage the emotionally traumatized/grieving employee early in the process.  Don’t wait for performance issues to arise.

⑵ Engage with empathy and compassion, letting the person know you care more about them than they realize.  The conversation will likely be awkward, uncomfortable, and emotional but have it anyway.

⑶ Be vulnerable and share your thoughts and feelings surrounding the circumstances.

⑷ Adapt your leadership approach to provide the support the individual or the team needs based on what you hear.

⑸ Involve the person and the team in the crafting of the support approach.

The article contains many insights from several experts.  Here is the link.

https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/employee-relations/pages/helping-employees-cope-with-the-death-of-a-co-worker.aspx

For more information, pick up a copy of our book,  𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘼𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥  About Our Book

Anthony Casablanca

Order a copy of our book, The Dying Art Of Leadership.  About Our Book

Engage in a complimentary consultation Consultation Contact Form

Follow us on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonycasablanca/