Grief in the workplace
Grief is not a disorder, a disease or a sign of weakness. It is an emotional, physical and spiritual necessity, the price you pay for love. The only cure for grief is to grieve.
Earl Grollman
In the last twelve months 24% of working-age people, 7.9 million employees, have experienced a bereavement
Two million people in employment suffer intense grief per year
58% of all grieving people felt their performance at work was affected by their grief months after the death of a loved one
56% of employees would consider leaving their employer if treated badly following a bereavement
What do you do with a colleague who is grieving?
Our colleagues are often the people we spend the most amount of time with, and yet we often shy away from the personal or complex.
Every one of us will experience grief and bereavement at some point, and some people around us will suffer devastating losses. Yet, we still feel uncomfortable talking about it and being around people who are grieving
- We don’t understand
- We don’t know what to say
- We worry about getting it wrong
Though much of this comes from a place of compassion and kindness, it can leave those already struggling feeling more isolated and alone.
Our training is designed to open up conversations about grief in the workplace and enable us to support our employees, colleagues and friends better.
It intends to remove much of the stigma and misconceptions around grief and give people insight and understanding they are often afraid or unwilling to seek out.
It will include first-hand experiences of grief, what helped, what didn’t and how we can create a more supportive, empathetic culture that will benefit us all.
Our Grief In The Workplace Training
What is the session like? Will everyone be uncomfortable??
The session is designed to normalise grief and encourage open, frank conversation.
We discuss grief and all its manifestations honestly, based on a wealth of first-hand testimony and experiences. It is not designed to be depressing or traumatic,
It has also been created with input from therapists, GPs and bereavement experts, with follow-up support resources provided.
Who is it for?
The session is designed for every organisation who may need to support a bereaved person.
It could be a general session to open up discussion as part of a wider Wellness programme or bereavement policy. It could also be content designed for senior managers, or a specific team’s needs or situation.
The sessions can vary from 30 minutes, as part of a wider programme, Lunch and Learn sessions or more in-depth in-person training.
All sessions can be delivered in-person, online or hybrid.
Can we ask questions?
Absolutely. The idea of the session is to remove discomfort and awkwardness around talking about grief. Nobody is obliged to share their own experiences if they don’t want to, but there will be plenty of time for people to ask the questions they have been afraid to ask!
Didn’t we cover this in our mental health training?
Grief is not a mental health condition but a normal emotional response to a life experience. Although complicated grief can cause other mental health issues, there is nothing inherently wrong with it.
Bundling grief in with mental health issues can make people feel more isolated and reluctant to ask for support.
Really helpful session bringing light to a topic that is rarely spoken about. Louise highlighted steps you can take and gave advice from personal experiences. Would definitely recommend attending a future talk!
A brilliant webinar Louise which really resonated with me. It would be a great training presentation for many organisations. Totally clear, with a down to earth, realistic and sensitive tone. Great!
The session was informative and applicable to workplace. I really appreciate Louise’s lived experiences and her approach to bring stories to discuss grief. The tips and hints from the session are really useful. Thank you.
20% of all proceeds will be donated to Don’t Look Down
Fred Bennett’s Don’t Look Down is a Special Named Fund as part of the Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group
About Louise
I was not a stranger to grief, having suffered the loss of both of my parents, six years apart, whilst I was still in my twenties.
However, in 2019, my 13-year-old son Fred was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. He died ten months later.
Since that time, I have spoken and written extensively on grief, both online and for newspapers, television and podcasts. I’ve written articles on grief for the Huffington Post and the New Statesman and appeared as a contributor on BBC Breakfast, Good Morning Britain, ITV News, Sky News and Global Radio.
I am passionate about improving our understanding and comfort around grief so that we can support ourselves and others.
