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Death and loss don’t stop at the office door. In fact, $942 billion of productivity and business growth in the U.S. has been directly affected by death-related grief, according to workplace research by Cara McCarty Abbott. Yet most managers feel completely unprepared when an employee faces personal tragedy or when collective grief strikes their team.
The reality is simple: grief and personal hardship affect work because we are whole humans, not compartmentalized machines. Leaders who respond with empathy and structure—not silence or overexposure—set the tone for a healthy culture.
TL;DR
Most managers aren’t trained for workplace grief, but with 75% of grieving employees showing productivity declines, knowing how to respond is essential. This guide provides templates, timelines, and specific actions for supporting individual employees and teams through loss—so you’re prepared when it matters most.
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Why this matters
Most managers have never been trained for tragic moments. But with 75% of grieving employees reporting productivity declines, knowing how to respond isn’t optional—it’s essential leadership. Here’s your practical guide for two challenging scenarios: supporting an individual employee through grief and helping your team navigate collective loss.
Shared with permission by a Bloom Growth employee
Earlier this year, my dad unexpectedly passed away. My first instinct was the typical millennial reflex: “Maybe I can just take off this week and keep working after that.” In hindsight, I can see how that’s absurd, but it’s the mindset many of us carry. Thankfully, my manager said: “Take as much time as you need.” HR echoed that, adding compassion and a tangible act of kindness: they donated $100 to a charity in my dad’s honor.
It wasn’t just leadership—it was my coworkers too. Every single colleague met me with grace and compassion. My team picked up the slack, and I didn’t have to worry. That’s culture. And when people ask me, “What does your culture look like?” this is part of the answer.
But it made me think of something even bigger: Can I be human here? Fortunately, the answer for me is “Yes!” And I wonder, “Is it that way—can it be that way—other places, too?”
When tragedy strikes, managers have seconds to set the tone—and most wing it, hoping empathy alone will suffice. But good intentions without clear actions often leave grieving employees feeling unsupported and teams feeling uncertain. The difference between companies where people can “be human” and those where they can’t usually comes down to whether leaders know what to do next.
When an individual is grieving
Of the many approaches to responding to your employee, these are the top strategies that will help them feel supported while giving you (and other colleagues) a clear path forward without the guesswork and unnecessary awkward talks.
Communicate clearly and compassionately
Silence leaves people guessing. A short, kind acknowledgment matters far more than saying nothing.
Start with this template: “I’m sorry for your loss. Take the time you need—we’ll handle your responsibilities. When you’re ready to return, we can discuss a gradual transition back or any support you need.”
But read your room. If you’ve known this colleague for years, be genuinely human—not corporate. A generic “sorry for your loss” note with flowers they’re allergic to misses the mark entirely.
Offer space, not pressure
“Take all the time you need” is better than “When will you be back?” This response opens important conversations about support while giving clarity to both employee and team. Follow up in one week to see how they’re doing, then check in every two weeks until they feel back to normal capacity. But remember: not everyone wants to process it publicly.
“When employees feel cared for, they’re 60% more likely to remain at a company for three or more years.”¹
Delegate and protect workload
Good coworkers don’t make the grieving employee worry about unfinished tasks. Managers must protect them from unnecessary pressure by ensuring the team knows who is covering what.
Take action → Assign coverage within 24 hours and send one clear email to relevant stakeholders listing who handles what tasks, with contact information and expected duration.
🧠 Bloom tip: Each employee does a task that is probably not documented somewhere. Have a central repository for processes, and have each employee write down the process so that in the event they are out of office, that progress doesn’t stall.
When collective grief or division strikes
Sometimes grief doesn’t come from one person’s loss but from something larger—a public tragedy, divisive cultural moment, or polarizing political event.
Acknowledge without politicizing
Leaders don’t have to take sides to validate emotion. A simple statement—“I know this week’s news has impacted many of you in different ways”—is enough.
Create space for processing (optional, not forced)
Offer a moment of silence in a meeting, an optional day off, or a 1:1 for those who want it. Don’t require participation; grief looks different for everyone.
Reinforce respect and psychological safety
Remind your team of shared values, especially around respect. No matter your company’s stance on political talk (some allow open discussion, others do not), reinforce the non-negotiable: treat each other with dignity.
Watch for grief behavior in disguise
Distraction, irritation, or sarcasm might be grief—not disengagement. Look beneath the surface before reacting. Missing deadlines they’d normally hit easily, giving unusually short responses in meetings, subpar work, or avoiding team interactions they previously enjoyed.
“Presenteeism cuts individual productivity by one-third or more and results in about 57.5 lost workdays per year.”²
Respect privacy and need-to-know boundaries
Not everyone in the organization needs details. Communicate just enough to respect the individual while equipping the team to adjust.
Who needs to know? → Typically, direct reports and project stakeholders need basic coverage information, while the broader organization and casual colleagues don’t need personal details.
What do they need to know? → When someone is out for personal reasons, share what’s essential for work continuity (“Jane will be out for the next two weeks; here’s who to go to in her absence”)—but avoid unnecessary detail.
🧠 Bloom tip: Model curiosity and calm in how you respond to news or behavior shifts. Leaders who stay grounded help teams feel safe.
Lead with humanity
Before you support others, check in with yourself. How are you processing this moment? You can’t lead well if you’re ignoring your own emotions. Humanity—not perfection—is what teams need from their managers.
Build a culture that can hold people
Culture isn’t proven when everything is smooth. It’s tested in the hardest moments—when someone loses a parent, or when a national event divides hearts. If your team can pick up the slack, show grace, and let people be human, you’ve built something resilient.
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¹ Here’s how to navigate grief in the post-pandemic workplace | World Economic Forum (Source: World Economic Forum, 2022)
² How Much is Grief Costing Your Company? – Workplace Healing (Source: Harvard Business Review data cited by Workplace Healing, 2023)