When a death of an employee happens, worksites are often thrown into chaos. If the death occurred as a result of an industrial incident, fire, murder, or similar tragic incident, workers have to deal with a range of issues in addition to shock and the loss of a workmate.
These issues generally relate to concerns about how and why the situation occurred and often result in feelings of anger, guilt, fears for personal safety and a need for someone or something to blame. If particular employees were present at the death, or involved with the tragedy, they may find it even harder to deal with.
Managers may have little or no experience in dealing with the grief of families and workmates after a tragic death. Regardless of the cause of death, it is helpful if managers:
- send a clear, simple message of support to staff to help them acknowledge the death
- have an ‘open door’ to staff
- provide access to a professional counsellor for those who need it
Managers may be affected too, so involving professional help can also act as a point of advice and support for them.
Staff may also be helped to deal with their grief by including them in an organised activity to acknowledge and remember their colleague, this could be taking up a collection for the family, holding a ceremony at the workplace, whilst others may just wish to send a personal tribute or attend the funeral. For some the best way of moving on and putting it behind them is to simply get on with routine and avoid any activities
After a death the bereaved family is likely to appreciate having contact with management or a representative of the business to answer any questions, or to give help to the family, in the early days after the death.
It is important for there to be good communication between the workplace and the family. It may be helpful if one person, be made the contact point in the workplace. This person can talk to the family about what they want, and how best to achieve it, while also meeting the needs of the company and its workforce.
Some families may wish to have contact with the workplace to perhaps see the place where the employee worked, or to offer thanks to co-workers who helped their loved one. Similarly, having direct contact with the family may be helpful for some workers, but for others it is likely to be avoided due to the painful memories. Whether there is direct contact or not, workers are often interested to know how the family are and what the company is doing to support them.
It can be helpful for a management plan to be in place to assist in responding effectively to an employee’s death.
