Moving Forward After The Death of A Team Member
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4. Communicate with Sensitivity – Next Steps
When a co-worker dies, it is important to communicate sensitively what the transition will be. For example, how the person’s position will be replaced, the process of cleaning out personal items and how the transition will affect the day-to-day operation of the organization.
It is always a good practice to cross-train your staff so they’re prepared to step-in and handle work-related responsibilities that are critical to your operation when an employee passes.
Thinking through questions employees might have, and answering them before they are asked, makes the employees feel valued.
5. Provide Support to the Family
In our case, several members of our staff were close to the family of our deceased co-worker, and we shared the not-always-friendly experience of helping her husband deal with death benefits and other logistical issues that needed to be addressed after she died.
It is important to treat the family as tenderly as you would other employees. Their loss is great and compassion goes a long way in demonstrating care through a similar situation.
6. Creating a Bereavement Policy
It is very important that every business small or large to have a bereavement policy in place. If you would like, please feel free to reach out to me directly for further information. I can share our bereavement policy to help you begin the process.
Life is unpredictable and employers are often unprepared for the unexpected sudden death of an employee. Taking the time to slow the business-as-usual down and help employees cope with a loss can help the organization go through the natural stages of grieving and return promptly to a state of productivity.
Related articles:
Maintaining Focus in Light of Losing a Rock Star Teammate
Once You Have the Dream Team, It’s About Employee Retention
8 Signs of Employee Depression
