ABSTRACT

This chapter explores issues relating to loss and grief in the workplace, which concentrates on trauma in the workplace. It has become increasingly clear that, with downsizing, downshifting and increased reliance on temporary contracts, contemporary workplaces are not the centers of stability and security that they once were. Death can arise anywhere and at any time, and the workplace is no exception to this. Losses that are not death related from outside the workplace which may, nonetheless, have a significant impact within it would include: divorce or, in effect, the breakdown of any significant relationship in a person’s life. Grieving involves developing a new “narrative,” a new set of meanings that help us make sense of our lives and lead us through it. In terms of rising to the challenge of grief in a workplace, it is vitally important that we recognize that it is not simply a matter of referral to an employee assistance program.