Grief at Work: How to Support an Employee and a Team After a Loss

How should grief at work be handled? A guide to talking with a bereaved employee, planning their return and supporting the team after a colleague's death.

An employee returns to work a few days after their father's funeral. Their teammates avoid eye contact because they do not know what to say; their manager says "I'm so sorry for your loss" and never raises the subject again. As the weeks pass, the employee's absent-mindedness, mistakes and tiredness grow, while those around them begin to think, "They should have pulled themselves together by now." In another organisation, an employee loses their life in a workplace accident and the next morning everyone on the production line quietly gets on with their work. Grief at work is a subject that the great majority of organisations are caught unprepared for. Yet every employee will experience a loss at some point in their working life, and that loss will come with them into the workplace. In this article I look at how the grieving process shows up in working life, and how employers, HR managers and team leaders can support a bereaved employee and their team.

Grief at Work: What Is It and How Does It Affect Working Life?

Grief is a natural, universal and multidimensional response to a significant loss. The death of a loved one is the best-known cause of grief; however, a serious illness diagnosis, pregnancy loss, divorce, the loss of a pet, or losing one's home and city after a disaster can also set off a grieving process. After the 6 February 2023 earthquakes, many organisations found themselves facing a picture of grief in which many employees had lost relatives, homes and their past all at once.

Grief is not made up of sadness alone. These experiences are common during the process:

• Emotional: Deep sadness, anger, guilt, anxiety, relief or emotional numbness
• Cognitive: Difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness, trouble making decisions, constantly thinking about the loss
• Physical: Tiredness, changes in sleep and appetite, headaches, a weakened immune system
• Behavioural: Withdrawal, bouts of crying, escaping feelings through overwork, or indifference to the job

Most of these reactions directly affect job performance. In work requiring attention, on the production line, when driving, or in roles where critical decisions are made, the first weeks of grief should also be considered from a safety point of view.

Grief has no set timetable. Expectations such as "the fortieth day has passed (the traditional mourning milestone in Turkey), it should be over by now" place additional pressure on the grieving person. Some employees regain most of their functioning within a few weeks, while for others it may take months; feelings can intensify again on anniversaries, religious holidays and special days. For more on the individual side of the grieving process, you can look at our article on the grieving process.

The Impact of Grief at Work on the Organisation

Failing to support a grieving employee can have long-term consequences for both the employee and the organisation:

• Presenteeism: The employee comes to work but is not there mentally and emotionally. According to Deloitte's UK data, the largest item in the cost of poor mental health to employers is presenteeism (Deloitte, 2024).
• Risk of errors and accidents: Difficulty concentrating and sleeplessness demand attention, especially in work carrying physical risk.
• Loss of trust and leaving the job: An employee who finds no understanding from the organisation during the hardest period of their life does not forget that experience. According to Deloitte's 2022 report, around 40% of turnover costs in the UK are attributed to mental health problems (Deloitte, 2022).
• Silence and alienation within the team: In teams where the loss is not talked about, both the grieving employee and their colleagues feel alone.

Conversely, support shown during this period often deepens the employee's commitment to the organisation. "When my father died, my manager was there for me" is a sentence remembered even years later.

In Turkey, traditions such as condolence visits, attending funerals and memorial days hold an important place in sharing grief socially. When planning grief support at work, it is as important to respect these traditions as it is to remember that employees from different faiths and cultures may have different rituals and needs. For some employees, extra leave for religious days and memorial ceremonies is important, while for others quiet understanding is enough. There is no single right approach; the most reliable way is to ask the employee what they need.

How Do You Talk to an Employee Who Has Experienced a Loss?

The thing managers find hardest is not knowing what to say. The fear of saying the wrong thing often leads to saying nothing at all; yet silence can be perceived by the employee as indifference.

Phrases that can help:

• "I'm so sorry. I'm not sure exactly what to say, but I'm here for you."
• "How would you like to plan your return to work? What would make things easier for you?"
• "If you want to talk, I'm here; if you don't, that is completely understandable."
• "If you'd like to talk about the person you lost, I'd be glad to listen."

Phrases to avoid:

• "Everything happens for a reason" or "Thank goodness he was old"
• "I know exactly how you feel"
• "You have to be strong" or "It's time to move on"
• Comparing losses or talking at length about one's own losses

It is important to respect the employee's choice about whether or not to talk about the loss. Some employees see the workplace as a space where they can step outside their grief and want to have a "normal" day. This too can be a healthy part of grieving.

The most valuable thing you can give a grieving employee is not the right sentences but an organisation that keeps standing beside them.

Legislation and the Organisational Framework

For current regulations on rights such as bereavement leave, leave for excused absence and unpaid leave, I recommend that you assess the matter with your legal department or an employment law specialist. However, the statutory leave period is often only the beginning of the adjustment time grief requires.

Article 4 of the Occupational Health and Safety Law No. 6331 places on the employer the obligation to take into account the employee's suitability for the job in terms of health and safety when assigning duties. Temporarily reviewing high-risk tasks in the first weeks of grief is the practical expression of this principle. Article 15 of the law also provides that, on return to work after repeated absences due to health reasons, a health examination is carried out if the employee requests it.

The WHO's guidelines on mental health at work offer reasonable accommodations for employees experiencing mental health problems as a strong recommendation (WHO, 2022). In situations where grief takes a complicated or prolonged course, temporary adjustments to working hours, task allocation or workload can be considered within this scope.

A Return-to-Work Plan for an Employee Who Has Experienced a Loss

1. First contact: When you learn of the loss, send the employee a short message of condolence; state clearly their leave entitlements and how their work will be covered. Avoid disturbing them with work matters during this period.

2. Informing the team: With the employee's consent, give the team brief information; the employee should decide how much detail is shared. Plan culturally appropriate gestures such as a condolence card, flowers or attending the funeral.

3. Return conversation: Hold a short conversation before they return to work or on the day of their return. Ask how the employee would like to meet the team, what arrangements they need in the first few days and whether they want the loss to be talked about.

4. Temporary arrangements: Consider options such as lightening the workload in the first weeks, a phased return, flexible start and finish times, temporary changes to tasks requiring high concentration, or frequent breaks.

5. Regular follow-up: In the weeks after their return, ask how they are with short conversations that do not apply pressure. Keep in mind difficult times such as anniversaries, religious holidays and special days.

6. Remind them of sources of support: If the organisation has a confidential psychological support option, explain clearly how to reach it. In a European survey, 50% of employees think that disclosing a mental health problem would harm their career (EU-OSHA, 2022); emphasising confidentiality is therefore important.

When should professional support be considered? Grief that keeps its intensity despite months passing, serious impairment of daily functioning, being unable to accept the loss, intense guilt, hopelessness or thoughts of self-harm are signs that may call for a specialist assessment. If the loss occurred suddenly, violently or in traumatic circumstances, traumatic stress symptoms may also appear; our article on post-traumatic stress disorder may give you an idea. If the employee talks about thoughts of self-harm, this is an emergency and 112 (emergency services) should be called.

Supporting the Team After a Colleague's Death

When an employee dies through illness, an accident or a sudden cause, the entire team is deeply affected. In Turkey in 2025, 1,931 employees lost their lives as a result of workplace accidents (SGK Statistical Yearbook, 2025). Behind this number are hundreds of grieving teams and workplaces. In such a situation, the organisation can do the following:

• Provide quick and accurate information: To head off rumours, inform the team respectfully and to the extent the family has approved.
• Give the team time and space: Expecting the normal pace of production on the first day of the loss may be unrealistic. Rituals such as a short gathering, a moment of silence or a memorial corner help the team grieve together.
• Apply the principles of psychological first aid: The WHO's psychological first aid guide summarises the core principles as Look, Listen, Link: looking for who is struggling, listening without pressure, and connecting the person with the sources of support they need (WHO, 2011).
• Avoid compulsory "tell what happened" sessions: The WHO recommends that psychological debriefing, that is, sessions based on everyone recounting the event in detail one by one, should not be used with people recently exposed to a traumatic event (WHO, 2012). Voluntary support and monitoring should be preferred instead.
• Pay special attention to close colleagues: Employees who worked the same shift as the person who died, who witnessed the event or who were close friends with them may be affected more intensely.
• Manage communication with the family: Communicate with the family respectfully and through a single responsible person about the handover of personal belongings, entitlements and official procedures.
• Handle details such as the desk, locker and name tags with care: When and how the deceased employee's belongings are removed should be planned by talking with the team.

If the death resulted from a workplace accident, the process has both grief and trauma dimensions. In this case, I cover in detail what the organisation needs to do in the article on psychological support after a workplace accident.

How Do You Get Started in Your Organisation?

Needs analysis: Review how the organisation has behaved in situations of loss and grief so far, leave practices, how prepared managers feel on this subject and what employees expect. Lessons from past losses and crisis situations are valuable at this stage.

Programme: Plan a written grief and loss policy, a guide to return-to-work conversations, a crisis communication plan to follow in the event of an employee's death, training in grief and psychological first aid for managers, and confidential individual support. The strongest-evidenced recommendation in the WHO's guidelines on mental health at work is to give managers mental health training (WHO, 2022). You can see how a structure suited to your organisation can be set up on the corporate services page.

Measurement: Return-to-work times after a loss, use of support services, turnover and employee feedback are monitored. Doing a short review after every crisis situation to identify where the policy worked and where it needs developing makes you better prepared for the next loss.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much time should we give an employee who is grieving at work?

Grief has no fixed duration, and the statutory leave period is often only the beginning of the adjustment process. A phased return, temporary workload adjustments and regular follow-up allow the employee to recover at their own pace. In prolonged situations that seriously impair functioning, a specialist assessment should be recommended.

Is it right to ask an employee about their loss?

It depends on the employee's preference. Some employees want to talk about the person they lost; others do not want to raise the subject at work. The best approach is to show that you are open to talking and leave the decision to the employee.

Should we hold a group session for the team after a colleague's death?

A voluntary meeting that provides information and introduces sources of support can be useful. However, sessions in which everyone is pushed to recount the event in detail are not recommended by the WHO. Instead, the principles of psychological first aid, monitoring and, when necessary, referral to individual support should be preferred.

What should I do if a grieving employee talks about harming themselves?

Take it seriously, do not leave the employee alone and listen calmly. If there is immediate danger, call 112 (emergency services) straight away; in non-emergency situations, help the employee reach a mental health professional and consider, with their consent, informing a relative. If the organisation has a confidential support service, it also helps to remind them how to reach it.

• #grief
• #loss
• #return to work
• #crisis management

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Eda Erkan Alapala

Klinik Psikolog. İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi Klinik Psikoloji Tezli Yüksek Lisans mezunu; bilişsel davranışçı terapi, çocuk merkezli oyun terapisi ve çocuk-ergen psikoterapisi alanlarında eğitimlerini tamamlamıştır.

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