The psychological relationship between death loss and the experience of the bereaved employee in the workplace.

This study examined the emotional, social, and organizational experience of the bereaved employee who returned to the workplace after a death loss. The study included four hundred and eighteen participants who had responded to an anonymous survey. All the participants had experienced a death loss while they were employed. The study questions were designed to present information rather than define cause and effect. The research questions were: (1) What does the business community offer in terms of bereavement support? (2) What experiences are reported by the employee after a death loss? (3) What costs to the employer may be associated with an employee in bereavement? (4) What suggestions could be offered to the business community as a result of this survey? Study findings revealed that most businesses did offer some form of bereavement policy. The policy, however, was time limited, limited to certain relationships, and not sufficient to account for the time off work needed by the bereaved. Subjective comments also indicated that understanding, education and compassion in the business community toward the process of grief, would yield a better employee and business. The costs to the employer included lost wages, lost work productivity, termination of employees and increased use of insurance benefits. Further research to validate this beginning information is necessary to formulate change in society. Survey instruments precisely designed to measure cause and effect will have a greater impact in demonstrating the necessity of bereavement support in the workplace