Employer response to bereaved staff urged

When an employee returns to work after a bereavement their loss should be acknowledged by their employer, an American expert in dealing with grief told a seminar in Dublin yesterday.

Ted Bowman said grief following a death will affect a person's work performance in some way but if their loss is acknowledged, employees can often return to full work more quickly, more efficiently and more productively.

If the loss is ignored it can build resentment in the worker towards their colleagues or their employer. He advised companies to have policies in place to deal with situations where employees suffer a bereavement.

About one in ten of the working population is directly affected by a death each year.

The seminar was organised by the Irish Hospice Foundation which, in a recent survey of 34 Irish organisations, found a significant number of firms experienced an increase in sick leave after a bereavement.

Meanwhile, Mr Bowman recommended that people who are living through the loss of a loved one should develop a healing plan. This plan could be as simple as organising a break, being with friends or enjoying a sunset - activities which allow one some joy in the midst of the grieving, he said. "Research has found that people who are grieving cope well when they have one person who stands by them and gives them a sense of hope. They need social support which is not just emotional support but tangible support such as cooking meals."

© 2008 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times