Dealing with the death of a coworker is never easy.
On average, Americans spend around 90,000 hours of their life at work. All that time spent in the office has a huge influence on our everyday life.
Sometimes we get lucky and we meet coworkers that we really connect with. It’s common for those people to become our friends.
When a coworker passes it’s devastating. They may have been the person who sat next to you every day. Someone who supported you when you needed help. They may have even been someone you didn’t know personally, but respected due to their impact and contribution to the company.
It’s normal to feel a flood of emotions over the days, weeks, and months after they pass. You may have moments of confusion, shock, sadness or even overwhelm at the void their passing has left behind.
The death of a coworker may motivate you to take action and make the most of everyday. Or, it may bring a number of questions that you’ll need time and space to answer.
So what can you do to ease the pain of losing a colleague?
GIVE YOURSELF TIME
Grieving may seem like a waste of time. Something to rush through in order to get back to work. But studies show that the effects of incomplete grief (like irritability and apathy) can negatively influence your work. Create space in your life to process your emotions. Hold that space for as long as you need it.
ALLOW YOURSELF TO FEEL WHAT YOU FEEL
It’s normal to feel. If you don’t, you may have incomplete grief from a previous life situation that needs to be addressed first. Feel your emotions as they come up. Take time to move through that energy. You may think you don’t have permission to feel the same type of sadness as you do when you lose a family member. It isn’t so. Acknowledge what you feel and avoid the temptation to stuff it down.
PAY YOUR RESPECTS
Paying your respects is therapeutic and healing. This can be done in many ways. You might attend their funeral, raise funds to do something kind for their surviving family, or hold a team event to give back to the community in their honor. Remembering your colleague through positive activity will create a ripple effect of positivity that influences others.
ACTIVELY PRACTICE COMPASSION
You never know what someone else is going through. You’ll also have little insight into what your coworkers really feel about the loss of your teammate. Make it a point to practice kindness and compassion in the office more than ever. Loss can be a powerful trigger in one’s life. This loss will be no different. A little compassion will go a very long way in creating a positive work environment during this time of need.
Written in honor of Cathy C. & Patrick D.
