ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the issues of support and care by examining what helps and what hinders when it comes to dealing with loss, grief and trauma in the workplace. It focuses on a range of practical steps that can help to promote good practice and gives guidance on how to take such matters forward. The chapter identifies potential pitfalls that can prevent progress or even, in some circumstances, make matters worse. A grieving or traumatized individual will need to work at their own pace, and so allowances may need to be made in terms of expected quality or quantity of work. Rituals can be understood as a form of symbolic holding hands or linking arms, standing firm and united against the challenges of adversity. People who are grieving or traumatized will often experience a strong sense of powerlessness. Workplace cultures, including the range of sanctions they incorporate, are very powerful influences on behavior and interactions.
