Grief impacts on emotional, physical, spiritual and psychological wellbeing. Research indicates that at any one time, 10% of a company’s employees are likely to be affected by bereavement.
Bereavement in the workplace can be challenging to manage: employees may need to take time off unexpectedly, find their performance is impacted, or be temporarily unable to perform certain roles. However, a compassionate and supportive approach demonstrates that the organisation values its employees, helping to build commitment, reduce sickness absence, and retain the workforce.
Bereavement counselling is a way of helping your employees deal with their feelings. At New Leaf, professional counsellors give the employee space to express their emotions in a supported way, providing time to talk about the person they have lost and the enormous impact it is having on their life.
Sometimes loss happens within the workplace. New Leaf can provide on-site wellbeing services and help employees process shock and loss of a colleague.
Bereavement affects people in different ways, whatever their stage in life – sense of shock and disorientation, anger, guilt, depression, exhaustion, overwhelming sadness – these are common and there is no right or wrong way to feel. Experts agree there are four stages of bereavement – accepting that your loss is real; experiencing the pain of grief; adjusting to life without the person who has died; starting to move on – but it is never a smooth transition.
