We should be better by now at talking about grief in the workplace

Grief of losing a loved one has been a predominant factor during the pandemic world over. In addition to all the inherent stress, grief can add tremendously to the Mental health and Depression issues. This generation will have to learn to proactively manage and live with these challenges. I had an opportunity to hear a great talk by Dr. K. Hariprasad, President, Apollo hospitals during the panel discussions with the students of?T A Pai Management Institute, Manipal ?this week. And then I came across this wonderful article about the importance of handling grief and how workplaces can provide a support system. Over the past few month, having come across incidences and also interacting with a number of people, I felt it apt to share the article for the benefit of all those wonderful people who are going through a grieving and suffering phase. Workplaces need to learn to be more empathetic and humanized. The leadership teams and Reporting Managers need to be sensitized about the issue. It is important to acknowledge and respect human grief at a very basic human level.

I have personally gone through this difficult phase in life recently, having lost my Dad (Father in law) in November 2021, post an intense, long battle with lung cancer and under an intensive care for a few months at the peak of COVID wave 2 just before he passed on. Finally, with Doctors prescribing palliative care towards the last days of his life, we went through the most turbulent emotional grieving moments of life. Not everyone is as lucky as the author of the article. Acknowledging grief with empathy is key to help people overcome their challenges. Creating a supportive environment will go a long way in helping one get over this difficult phase. The least workplace leaders and managers can do is to genuinely offer condolences, if not anything more.

One question that I get asked many times these days during interactions is- when should you decide to leave an organization. My response has always been that people leave Managers and not Organizations. And if you see lack of empathy, especially during grieving moments of life, it should surely raise a red flag for you. The subsequent mental stress by continuing to work in that environment can be far more damaging to both your mental and physical health and well-being. It is the time to move on.

Some tips on how to manage through such phases in life

• learn to break all the problems down causing stress into smaller blocks. Also decide to prioritize what is important for the current moment. Trying to solve all challenges the Rambo style will only make things harder.....
• I would strongly recommend reading the article (link below), very useful pointers for both individuals and organizations

• Also, what helped me manage such grieving phase is a wonderful book - Tuesdays with Morrie, Book by Mitch Albom. I would recommend reading this book, even otherwise. Will give you so many wonderful insights about life and learning the 'art to be grateful' .....

If you are currently going through a grieving phase in life, and need a listening ear to speak to, do feel free to give me a shout. I will be happy to speak to you, to the best of my ability.

If these grieving moments are intense, I would strongly suggest seeking professional psychiatric support.

#health ?#mentalhealth ?#respect ?#help ?#workplaceculture ?#empatheticleadership ?#mentalstrength ?#mentalhealthawareness ?#mentalstress ?#grieving #leadership #motivation #overcometobecome