Grief in the Workplace: A Manager's Guide

Description

Experiencing a bereavement is one of the most difficult challenges in life yet it is a universal experience that most of us will go through at some point in our lives. The majority of people will be employed at the time they experience this and considering people spend equal to or more of their waking hours at work, employers are primely positioned to support employees during this challenging time. Outside of our immediate social networks, managers are often the first people an employee will contact when they are bereaved so their response is critical both in the immediate and longer term. The right support can have far reaching impacts on employee wellbeing, their ability to carry out their jobs and their likelihood of sticking around! Through a mix of education, interaction, and activity this workshop is designed to equip managers with the skills to understand grief and use this knowledge to support employees and contribute to better grieving environments. The workshop will examine effective workplace support across 4 key areas: environment, people, practices and governance and how good grief support can contribute to better employee wellbeing. The workshop also looks at how managers themselves can practice self-care in the context of grief in the workplace.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of the workshop participants will be able to:

• explain why good bereavement and grief care in the workplace are important

• summarise the common components of the grieving experience

• describe the types of grief that employees can experience which will impact the workplace

• discuss the various elements of holistic grief care in the workplace, in the following areas: environment, people, practices, governance

• consider appropriate responses and language which can be used to support a colleague/employee who is grieving

• recognise the importance of planning for what should happen if an employee/colleague dies and how to support employees when this occurs

• develop a Bereavement Policy for your organisation using the IHF resources provided

• discuss professional boundaries and how to practice self-care as a manager in the context of grief in the workplace

Presenter Profile

Amy Gibney is Irish Hospice Foundation’s National Coordinator for Grief in the Workplace and Public Awareness, using her previous professional experience in mental health promotion and community work to support people in the settings of their everyday lives to stay well and cope with life’s challenges through education, social support but perhaps more importantly, through the creation of supportive environments. As a qualified Health Promotion professional and having completed a QQI Level 6 in Training, Delivery & Evaluation, Amy uses her skills to develop holistic education programmes designed to look at all aspects of the workplace that are relevant to good health, which ultimately allow people to access the support they need when grieving or coping with loss. Amy uses a research informed approach comprising of up-to-date evidence, theoretical frameworks and the human experience to ensure the content is not only supported by evidence but also reflects the experiences of a diverse population. Amy strongly believes in the role of empathy and kindness to transform workplaces and communities and to support people through life’s difficulties. Amy believes in the importance of workplace policies and good governance to protect the health, safety and welfare of all employees and has developed guidance documents on this. Amy has led out on the development of accessible and inclusive workshops in mental health promotion and this work has been recognised by NCBI and the Special Olympics. Amy's values are aligned closely with inclusive and equitable approaches. Amy is Certified in ASSIST Suicide Prevention.