Policies Alone Fall Woefully Short In Dealing With Grief In The Workplace

December 11, 2020

GriefLeaders co-founder, Anthony Casablanca, had his article published by Chief Executive Magazine.

In the article, Anthony discusses why following the currently popular advice CHRO’s have been getting to “take the opportunity this crisis has given us to reevaluate and change bereavement leave policies” will fall woefully short of achieving the desired result.

Leaders should be focused on how best to help emotionally traumatized, and grieving employees excel at work.  Because emotional trauma and grief know no timeline, to believe changing your leave policy will achieve that result is absurd.

There are many reasons provided in the article to support the claim, but the biggest reason is that grief in the workplace is caused by situations that go well beyond the loss of a loved one.  In fact, any significant emotionally traumatic event can trigger grief, including a company’s own initiatives.

Anthony goes on to provide thoughts on what CEO’s and CHRO’s should be focused on to really make a difference.

Leadership matters more than policies.  “When all is said and done, employees will remember less about their employer’s policies and more about how company leadership treated them.”

Focus on culture, not policy. “Let your cultural vision lead the way. Only then can you implement or improve on specific policies and benefits that support employees’ emotional well-being and help them succeed on the job.”

Evaluate and train for leadership skill gaps. “To help leaders gain the confidence and competencies to deal with grief in the workplace, start conducting specific skills training.”

“Grief is an inevitable, natural part of life. According to the Grief Recovery Institute, one in four employees is grieving at any given time. And unresolved grief can lead to costly physical and mental health ailments, including anxiety, depression, addiction, cardiovascular risk, and recurring illness. This manifestly impacts an employee’s ability to think, work, innovate, collaborate and get things done.”

Here is the link to the full article: https://chiefexecutive.net/author/anthonycasablanca1/

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