Managing Grief In The Workplace

Carrie Greene talks about her experience watching the World Trade Center Towers fall on September 11th and the aftermath of helping those crossing the Hudson River to escape the horrors of that fateful day. As someone who worked in the World Trade Center as well as for the New York Stock Exchange, she and her fellow employees felt the events of that day on a very personal level. Carrie knew many people in the area around the Trade Center that day who traveled daily into New York City. In addition to that, her boss had been at Canter Fitzgerald the day before conducting business in the Center. She and her fellow employees watched as the awful events unfolded from the big beautiful picture windows overlooking the Hudson River from their Jersey City, NJ office. Carrie talks about watching the first tower fall, objects falling from the building, which she later would know, were people jumping to escape the flames and 29 minutes later watching the second tower fall. Carrie outlines some crucial points for ma

Jeffery Veatch talks about living with the painful loss of his son Justin a talented musician who tragically died of an accidental drug overdose at the age of seventeen and how he and his wife, Marina struggled with surviving. Jeffery describes the unbearable moments he experienced after reaching work early one morning and being told to return home immediately. He doesn’t know how he was able to drive home that fateful morning but goes on to describe pulling up to his home and seeing the coroner’s van in his driveway and viewing his son’s body. Jeffery talks about Justin’s normal, happy childhood and how his passion and talent for music grew with him into his teen years. When Justin slipped into drug experimentation and addiction, his parents did all they could to support and keep him out of drugs. Today, Jeffery honors his son by taking the love he has for Justin and sharing his story as a way to keep others from the same fate. Through a foundation set up in Justin’s honor, speaking to young adults, and

Pat Werscherl talks about how downsizing affected her and her team, which she considered to be like family. During a large corporate merger and subsequent layoffs, Pat and her team experienced many of the emotions associated with grief. She talks about the denial that the company would actually be sold and the anger she experienced when the sale was completed to finally accepting the changes. The lack of assigned work to focus on each day along with the ongoing changes and many distractions led to lethargy, lost focus, and some serious, costly mistakes. The company did nothing to help their employees constructively deal with the emotions of grief and loss and this made the situation much worse. Effective Grief in the Workplace coaching would have lessened the negative impact to the employees and the company.

Dale White, breast cancer survivor, discusses her fear surrounding her diagnosis and subsequent treatment while maintaining her work responsibilities as a visiting nurse. She chose to be very open with her work peers about her cancer and treatment as a way to cope with her fear of dying. Dale talks about how supportive her co-workers and managers were during this challenging time and how that support aided her recovery. Dale’s journey through breast cancer lead her ultimately to a decision to help others also going through cancer treatment and recovery which enabled her to continue to work, but also to understand the valuable lesson her illness continues to play out in her life. She offers extraordinary insight and suggestions to managers who may have an employee going through cancer treatment and the loyalty engendered by their support.

Susana Fonticoba, widowed at 42, talks about grieving her husband’s death and her return to work. Sitting among a large group of co-workers, she struggled with balancing her need for privacy and the many inappropriate personal questions and comments that she endured. Susana’s discussion highlights that some people in grief want to be comforted and want to share. And as in Susana’s case, others prefer to grieve privately. She offers a number of suggestions for speaking to a grieving person that helps them feel comforted and welcomed back into the workplace as a fully functioning member of the team.

Ilene Green about her elderly Mom’s growing need for care and how that need drained Ilene’s attention from her business and customers. In addition, the decision to put her Mom in assisted living required walking through childhood memories as she and her brother cleared out their childhood home. Adding to the mental and emotional stress was her Mom’s Alzheimer’s progression and the many difficult decisions.

Ron Gold talks about a bike ride that put him on a path he never expected to take and forever changed his life. After being hit and seriously injured by a SUV, Ron's successful 25-year career on Wall Street ended abruptly. He went through five months of hospitalization and therapy and returned home to begin a new life that depended on full-time care. That need set him on the path of entrepreneurship that today has helped thousands who have similar needs. Coach Linda explores his decision to leave his job on Wall Street despite managers who would have eagerly accepted him back to his prior job and instead start his company Lean On We.

Christine Clifton about the many depressing losses she experienced in the space of a year. With the support of her manager, Christine was able to overcome a serious illness, pet loss, divorce, and a residence change. With therapy, she was able to identify a path through the stress and grief.

Kim Luthy about her grief journey encompassing her divorce, her 5-year-old son’s yearlong illness and her father’s eldercare needs. Kim talks about how caring and compassionate her manager and team were in supporting her through some of her most difficult days. As a grateful employee, she reflects back on the compassionate support she received during a difficult grief period in her life and how her team and manager supported her.

Shannon DePalma about the tragic loss of her former coworker who committed suicide. They felt the loss deeply and were saddened by the manager’s passive reaction. In a small office where everyone knows each other so well, employees feel especially close to one another and should be allowed time to grieve, process and heal from such a traumatic loss.

Lynn McFarland about her father’s death. He was a vibrant 80-year-old man, active in his community and a role model head of their household throughout his life. Lynn reflects on her deep loss and her employer’s understanding and compassion, which helped her through the grieving process.

Carol Kelly about her 10-year journey caring for her mother, her father and her uncle and how the experience changed her and made her more compassionate. During that extraordinarily difficult period, Carol decided it was necessary to close her consulting business and focus full-time on her caregiving efforts for her loved ones.

Teresa Bitner about the devastating loss of her husband in a motorcycle accident and how her school district rallied around her and her family.

Teresa Bitner about her experience as a new IT manager when her team member was killed on their way home after a long work shift and her inexperience navigating through minimal company support.

Cheryl Corin-Bonder who, as a new employee at a small company discovered she had a serious blood disorder, which resulted in the need for extended days off and a stem cell transplant. Cheryl was devastated by the lack of support, compassion and the decisions the company made.

Carla Capizzi about the tragic accident and death of her nephew during a bike race. Carla talks about her employer Rutgers University’s compassionate support and how much it meant to her during her bereavement and how highly valued she felt during this difficult time.

Pamela Putman about the lack of understanding and support two different companies showed during two different losses in her life and how each company could have handled the employee’s need for understanding and leave time in a more compassionate & practical way

April Ford about the sudden loss of her husband who also worked in the same department at Intel. April discusses how having an advocate at her company helped her navigate through corporate policy.

Kaitlin Kurdyla and discusses her loving care of her infant daughter living with cancer and how she balanced work responsibilities and her daughter's numerous surgeries.

Yvonne Richards about her journey with breast cancer and her manager's supportive response.