Truths:

-Death is the great equalizer 

-It spares no one

-It shakes our sense of stability 

-It can bring us to our knees

What I Keep in My Mind and Heart:

-A moment of connection exists: leaders and employees are joining in sorrow for their lost coworker

-Coworkers, oftentimes, become friends as well as chosen family 

-Professional and personal lines can blur when tragedy strikes 

-Old and new grief co-mingle; one loss can bring up memories and experiences of other losses

-Grief can manifest in different ways for different people 

-A smile and a warm greeting go a long way to helping people feel comfortable to open up

–Uncertainty is very hard to manage; this is an opportunity to process the chain of events

-It’s a chance to identify, validate and normalize thoughts and emotions associated with losses

-Talking about the loss represents a turning towards vs away from discomfort; that helps healing 

-Be curious about any cultural practices associated with grief and loss: everyone has learned to grieve differently 

-Providing support communicates a message: all people matter: the people who are alive as well as the person who died  

-This may be the only chance people have to grieve openly, as many of us tend to minimize the impact of loss, so we can get back to normal 

Post Session Reflections:

-Loss is something we all experience 

–We’re more alike than different and this is a moment that reinforces that truth 

–People feel, seen and heard 

-Kudos to leadership for bringing in a resource to support employees 

-I hope that more organizations will provide services to support employee wellness

-Meaningful and purpose driven work – I absolutely love doing this work