Work can be a healthy distraction when people are grieving a family loss; focusing on tasks not connected to home-life can help compartmentalize and manage grief’s pain for periods of time. When tragedy strikes within the workplace, it can derail the entire team on multiple levels simultaneously. Along with the loss of the individual who died, a work team must reorganize work-tasks (not unlike families must do), while losing the escape that work can offer. In many cases the relationships that people have with colleagues are as uniquely complicated and rich as others in our lives, but is less recognized as a significant loss by others.

Complex grief reactions can stem from all of these aspects of loss and change at work, all while people may be tasked with keeping up with pressing demands and deadlines. Individuals may be often triggered with memories shared with the colleague in personal moments or work-related routines, while being aware of the absence of the energy that the coworker brought to the daily environment. Yet, the workplace can also provide an incredible sense of community as everyone is grieving a common loss and experiencing it together. People may not feel the isolation and awkwardness that perhaps may be expected. Still, managing grief in the workplace can be difficult.

Below are a few helpful tips to ease the process…

Give People Room to Grieve

When there is a death in the office, it’s important to understand that people are going to need time to work through it. There is no specific timeline to the grieving process. Let people know it’s okay to take the space they need and encourage self-care. Make room in workdays for people to take walks or talk to someone, journal, cry, or meditate. Recognize that need to release the emotion and tension of grief’s pain. Expect that productivity may decrease as people process the loss and manage feelings along with reorganizing roles and tasks. Some individuals significantly affected may benefit from added support. Invite in a grief counselor to be available for employees to talk to or to provide a bit of educative support for staff.

Connect With Their Families

Family members often don’t have a sense of who we are at work, even though many people spend more time with their coworkers than they do at home. Sometimes people can be quiet at home, but can be outgoing and friendly in the workplace for their professional persona. When a co-worker dies, it can be helpful to connect with the deceased’s family so they can learn about their professional life and hear new stories. This can give the families a sense of how beloved their family member was to the entire organization, and can also help the family enrich their legacy of impact that their loved one leaves behind.