"Business is personal!"
I still hear Rhys say this to me. Rhys is an incredible mentor. I have learned so much from him - in particular how to allow your head and heart to collaborate in business.
Grief is a topic that had no space in the workforce; neither did mental health.
And look at us now!
LinkedIn used to be a space that was solely about business. Nothing personal - apart from celebrating success - in business. The last 10 years presented a significant change.
When I read through the various posts on LinkedIn today, I see personal stories everywhere. Stories about Mental Health challenges, about thriving through tough times. And I can see an increasing number of mentionings about grief - it makes my heart sing!
To clarify: it isn't the stories about the loss that cause such delight for me, it is rather the fact that we talk about it more openly. Grief still (mostly) seems to be a tabu topic, yet I recognise the shift - and I certainly love not only witnessing, but being part of the shift.
Grief affects everyone.
Just like Birth, Death is the only certainty in our lives - no matter our circumstances. And yet, the majority of people is confronted by the thought of our mortality.
Coming back to the workforce... bereavement leave is always too short. It cannot equate to the time needed to even begin our healing journey. So, how can we support people throughout bereavement?
It starts with the language we use!
"My Condolences" + Flowers + Card = NOT enough.
And quite frankly, the above equation is not what I would choose to show my support or express my compassion for a bereaved person. Why? Because I have been on the receiving end - and I understand how empty it can leave you, hearing those words.
So, what do we say instead? There are some rather simple tools, techniques and language we can use, to make the bereaved team member feel more supported, and welcomed back into the team!
"My Condolences" rather excludes them from the team.
I saw the need to create a workshop to support your teams - I named it:
Here are the objectives and inclusions in short:
Let's normalise speaking about grief - it is part of life. And business is personal!
With Love
Marie
Bestselling Author / Podcast Host of "The Work in Between” / 3x Cancer Survivor / Named Top 100 Successful Women to Know in 2022 by Gulf Coast Woman Magazine / Motivational & Keynote Speaker
2moBereavement time off is absolutely not enough. In the States it’s usually 3 days. What can you do with 3 days?! It’s more evidence that we are just supposed to move on. Do your responsibilities and the. Get back to work. Sure, you can take more time off, IF you have it. If you don’t, you are forced to lose pay or you go back too soon. Frankly, it’s inhumane.
The Brand Within Me is a ground-breaking book on Personal Brand.
2moI read in Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch that birth an death are the same thing - simply a transfer of energy from the metaphysical to the physical and back again. We celebrate a birth - although it's tough, perhaps deep within we could learn to celebrate a death as our loved ones evolve even grander? There will still be tears but some will be of joy rather than despair.