Friday, February 21, 2014

Find Practical Ways to Help Colleagues in Hard Times



There are five stages of grief:-

            (a)       Disbelief         -           This can’t be happening to me.
            (b)       Longing          -           Desire to be with the deceased.
            (c)        Anger              -           Why me?
            (d)       Depression    -           Overwhelming feeling of helpless.
            (e)       Acceptance   -           Accepting the loss.  

These stages of grief last for six months approx.  After this time growing is less.

Request your Boss to give you colleague’s share of work to help him.

Have patience and understanding for him.

Be with him, let him know you are there to listen and talk to.

Encourage him to take a walk or join some activity with you and spend some 
time together.

Acknowledge his grief, let him know you recognize the magnitude of the loss.

Send a sympathy card, note or flowers as a way to extend your condolence.

It is not necessary to ask questions how the death happened.

Avoid platitudes like, “life is for living”, “It’s God’s will”. They rarely console 
mourners.

Inappropriate to say, “I know how it feels”. Keep your personal feelings aside.  
Try to keep why and should out of your conversation.  Don’t allow your 
facial expression, body language or gestures to give away your judgmental 
thoughts.

Become comfortable with silence.  No need to fill up every moment 
with conversation.

Listen to your colleague frequently.  Do not discourage him to talk 
about the deceased.  Accept the feelings expressed.

It is inappropriate to say you should not feel like that, Do not hesitate to 
encourage him to go for counseling if the need arises watch out for signs 
like weight loss, depression or talks of extreme actions.

Be open to your colleague’s need and make frequent contacts when required.

No comments:

Post a Comment