Let’s Talk About Death

The worst news possible…

”It wasn't something I expected to hear about at Monday morning stand up…”

Have you experienced finding out about the passing of a colleague? It’s more common than we think. And yet, we don’t talk about it, nor are there many resources to support leaders through it.

Losing a colleague is difficult, incomprehensible, confusing, and hard. Whatever your response is, it can be challenging to come to terms with the reality of the loss, and it may take time to process the situation. As leaders, it’s essential to find ways to cope ourselves, while supporting our teams through.

Grief and Loss

The death of a colleague can not only trigger feelings of grief, loss, and sadness, it can have a longstanding impact if support isn’t offered as quickly as possible. It is crucial to recognize that everyone grieves differently and that there is no right or wrong way to cope with the loss. Some people may need more time than others to come to terms with the situation, while others may prefer to talk about their feelings and share memories of the deceased. It is essential to create a safe and supportive environment for everyone to express their emotions. What could this look like in your workplace? Are there quiet non productivity-centered spaces to go to?

Supporting One Another

It is essential to support each other during this difficult time. To actually ask about feelings, listen and validate experiences of grief, loss and sadness. Providing emotional support, flexibility and resources to those who need it can significantly help. It doesn’t just have to be up to the people leaders, how can we empower everyone to care for each other, communicate openly, and check in on one another? Many orgs bring in a professional grief counselor to provide additional support as a first step - but sometimes, it’s the only step. Grief is long and cyclic and can have a wider impact, longer than the first first days or after a memorial service. What ongoing support networks do you have in place?

Moving Forward

If it feels hard to return to work after the death of a colleague, this is really normal. As leaders, it can be difficult to encourage space, time off, flexibility when you know mahi still has to get done and deadlines need to be met. How can you balance work and needs around grief? How can you model that it’s okay to not be okay, and carry on?

Honoring

What processes does your workplace have to honor? It’s standard for the workplace to encourage and support colleagues to attend funeral services, but what happens if you work shift work and the lights need to be kept on? We’ve heard some workplaces organising a memorial service or creating a tribute to honor the colleague's life. This can help bring closure and provide an opportunity for colleagues to come together and support each other.

Ultimately, it’s a time to be kinder than you usually would in your comms over slack. It’s a time to acknowledge your feelings and ask for the support you need. It’s a time to allow space for the different way people grieve.

With time, patience, and support, we can cope with the loss and find ways to move forward while honoring the memory of our colleague.

Share with us!

We’re here for the super specific ways people have managed this in their orgs. Share your story with us! hello@bloomhq.co.nz or
We’d love to hear about how you responded to this. What did you say to your people? How quickly did you send internal comms out? What specific support was offered? How did you honor the person that died?

In our Podcast, we explore this and hear a real life story - check out  Episode 1 of The Bloomery Podcast