Session announcement: Managing grief
Join Faith Holloway of Hospice UK to discuss a universal but too-often-ignored topic. Learn how to look after yourself during periods of grief, and the importance of supporting employees after a bereavement.
Join Faith Holloway, Compassionate Employers programme lead at Hospice UK, for a workshop on grief in the Wellbeing Theatre at 11am on both days of the show.
Grief is a universal human experience but is often not given the consideration it demands. It’s important to learn about the bereavement process so you can look after yourself when someone close to you – whether in your personal or professional life – dies, and so that, as a manager, you can support your employees during periods of grief.
This is particularly important for carers, especially in the elderly care sector. Having built relationships with the people you care for, it can be incredibly hard when someone passes away.
As the UK’s national charity for hospice and end of life care, Hospice UK supports more than 200 hospices who care for more than 300,000 dying people and their families every year. The charity also promotes good practice, and pushes for death, dying, and bereavement to become part of conversations across society.
During the workshop, you will:
- Learn about the stages of grief and how to manage them in a healthy way
- Discover how to help your staff who may be going through grief, either due to losing someone at work or in their personal life
- Learn how the Compassionate Employers programme can support your workplace
Compassionate Employers
Hospice UK’s Compassionate Employers programme helps organisations and leaders support employees through grief, dying and caring.
As the charity says: “Not every manager is prepared when someone they manage tells them that they, or a loved one, has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, or has suddenly died. It can be hard to know what to say or how to say it. What would you do?”
Hospice UK reports that only 17% of managers say they feel very confident supporting an employee after a bereavement.
Bereavement support can also affect employee retention, according to Hospice UK’s data: “77% of 18-34 year olds say that they would consider leaving their job if they didn’t get proper support when bereaved at work.”
These statistics highlight the importance of engaging with the conversation around bereavement: for your own professional development, to support your team’s wellbeing, and to improve employee retention.
To learn more, visit Hospice UK’s informative webpages on coping with grief and managing grief in your professional life.
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