Healing Grief at Work

Book excerpt: With a gentle and considerate style, this handbook explores what happens when grief and the workplace meet, and the drastic effects of grieving on employees, their performance, and the overall workplace environment. Touching on the different kinds of grief workers can experience, such as death, divorce, and layoffs, the effective ways to channel grief during the workday, how to support coworkers who mourn, participation in group memorials, and negotiating appropriate bereavement leave, this concise and practical resource gives both ideas for the mourner and the mourner's coworkers. A special introduction for employers, owners, managers, and human resource personnel addresses the economic impact of grief in the workplace and provides practical and cost effective ideas for maintaining morale and creating a productive yet compassionate work environment.