1 / 29

GRIEF IN THE WORKPLACE

GRIEF IN THE WORKPLACE. Center for Grief Education & Support Seasons Hospice. The Hidden Annual Cost Of Grief In America’s Workplace. Death of a Loved One $37.5 billion Family Crisis $ 9.02 billion Death of a Close Friend,

clarke-stephenson
Download Presentation

GRIEF IN THE WORKPLACE

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. GRIEF IN THE WORKPLACE Center for Grief Education & Support Seasons Hospice

  2. The Hidden Annual Cost Of Grief InAmerica’s Workplace Death of a Loved One $37.5 billion Family Crisis $ 9.02 billion Death of a Close Friend, Colleague, or Extended Family $7.04 billion Pet Loss $2.4 billion Major Lifestyle Alterations $2.4 billion The Grief Recovery Institute Educational Foundation, Inc. -- 2003

  3. Societal Views AboutLoss And Grief We live in a “grief denying” culture Grief is taboo, closeted subject Pain and suffering are not acceptable states of being, and so are avoided and/or “treated” Society is secularized; decrease in reliance on a religious framework to cope with loss and grief, decrease in rituals and community support

  4. How Do We Deal With Grief? “Blessed are those who grieve quickly and efficiently for they meet the criteria for managed care.” Minimize the grief Shame Avoid Cliches

  5. Definitions Bereavement Grief Mourning

  6. Bereavement Bereavement is the objective event of loss. A relationship with someone or something that is valued A loss occurs A feeling of deprivation occurs

  7. Types Of Loss Loss is always personal. No one can decide what constitutes a loss to another person. Significant Relationships Possessions Self Developmental History of Loss Birth Today __________________________/________________________

  8. Grief Grief is the reaction to loss Natural, internal response to loss Universal, dynamic, invisible, genderless, ageless, non-linear, cumulative and endless Experienced physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, and spiritually Involves a continual process of adjustment

  9. Expressions Of Grief Physical Indigestion, headaches, sleep disturbance Mental Short-term memory loss, confusion Emotional Mood swings, short fuse, guilt Social Isolation Spiritual Anger at God, “Why” questions

  10. Mourning Mourning is the processes of coping with grief External expression of grief Defined by beliefs, attitudes, traditions, culture, religion, gender, age Influenced by the relationship with the person or object, mode of loss, previous loss experience, personality and social variables, and concurrent stressors Unique, visible process

  11. Role Changes Roles that a loved one fulfilled in one’s life Roles that one specifically fulfilled in a loved one’s life Personal role changes Relationship role changes

  12. Dual Process Model OfCoping With Loss Everyday life Experience Focus on past Focusing on future Processing the primary loss Processing the secondary loss Accepting the reality of the loss Adjusting to a different environment Working through the pain of grief Relocating your loss in your life Loss-Oriented Grief work Restoration-oriented Attention to life changes

  13. A loss is one of the most difficult situations faced by employees, co-workers and the workplace. NHPCO It’s about How you Live At Work

  14. Expressions Of Grief In The Workplace Physical Issues: Absenteeism, lack of motivation Mental Issues: Inability to concentrate, errors, confusion, accidents Emotional Issues: Mood swings, “grief attacks” Social: Isolation, substance use on the job Spiritual: Resentful

  15. Effects of Grief in the Workplace Decrease in productivity Decrease in morale Decrease in safety Loss of employee Re-training of new personnel Increased staff load Significant financial cost to business

  16. Business Strategies Critical Incidence Response Program Bereavement related policies and programs Resources, counseling, and educational materials Classes and workshops for staff Sensitivity training for managers and supervisors Eldercare Services/Consultation

  17. What About Cathy? Cathy has worked as an administrative assistant for five years. Her colleagues describe her as dedicated and “invaluable.” For the past two years, she helped her grandfather care for her grandmother, who had Alzheimer’s disease. Cathy helped her grandfather coordinate her grandmother’s care and drove him to the nursing home every evening so he could spend time with his wife. Cathy’s grandmother recently died. Cathy is very worried about her grandfather. NHPCO It’s about How you Live At Work

  18. If Cathy Worked For You . . . How could this affect your business? Absenteeism Workday interruptions Reduced productivity Supervisor time Unpaid leave Replace position Co-workers NHPCO It’s about How you Live At Work

  19. If Cathy Worked For You . . . How much could she cost your business? (if her salary is $15.00/hour and there is no workplace support) $1888.90 www.eldercalculator.org NHPCO It’s about How you Live At Work

  20. In A Typical Workplace,Cathy Might . . . Be fired as a result of reduced productivity or frequent absences Alienate her co-workers who pitch in to help cover her workload Become resentful if her employers aren’t sympathetic Quit her job NHPCO It’s About How You LIVE At Work

  21. What Can You Do To Support Employees Like Cathy? LIVE! NHPCO It’s About How You LIVE At Work

  22. Learn Work-life program models Policies and benefits Community resources NHPCO It’s About How You LIVE At Work

  23. Implement New and/or fine tune existing: Work-Life programs Policies Benefits Manager resources Employee resources NHPCO It’s About How You LIVE At Work

  24. Voice Existing and new work-life programs, policies and resources available: To Employees Staff Meetings Company newsletter New employee orientation To Community Local newspaper or magazine articles NHPCO It’s About How You LIVE At Work

  25. Engage Managers: to monitor grief issues Employees: to ask for help Co-workers: to support co-worker in need Other businesses: to educate employees Community: to improve care for the grieving NHPCO It’s About How You LIVE At Work

  26. What’s In It For You? Increased employee morale and loyalty Retention of good employees Family-friendly work environment Decreased cost to business It’s the right thing to do! NHPCO It’s About How You LIVE At Work

  27. Seasons Hospice Center for Grief Education & Support Can Provide Consultation regarding work-life policies and procedures Management training related to handling loss and grief issues at work while balancing the need for performance and productivity with the needs of the bereaved employee. Employee presentations, workshops, and/or seminars on loss and grief with focus on understanding bereavement, grief, and mourning through the life-span, helping others who are mourning, and other topics. On-site consultation and/or interventions following significant losses in an employee’s life. Employee referrals for counseling, support groups and other community resources.

  28. Helpful Resources

More Related