Grieving for a loved one is a sensitive topic – thus it is all the more important that the topic is handled the right way. In collaboration with an engineering firm, Professor Dr. Steffen Hillebrecht (THWS) examined how the topic can be handled and why preparation is key.
Published on 17 October 2023
About 20 years ago, Professor Dr. Steffen Hillebrecht had to witness the suicide of a young man with his own eyes. “Back then I lived in Leipzig and saw how someone jumped from the balcony on the fifth floor of the adjoining house”, he remembers. The man’s mother ran after him, shouted his name. But it was already too late.
It was most likely this experience which led to Professor Hillebrecht’s last year’s idea for a special project. Professor Hillebrecht is professor at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration. In cooperation with Dipl.-Ing. Heinke Wedler and Stefan Hund of the engineering firm for occupational safety and corporate health management in Laudenbach, Hillebrecht and his students examined the topics death and grief, and the correct handling in a business context.
A few years ago, Hillebrecht experienced himself how important it is to handle this sensitive topic in an appropriate way. He was 35 years old when his mother passed away unexpectedly. Back then, he worked for a Christian company. “The pastoral care was quick and reliable”, he remembers. He gladly received the support. “This helped me clear my mind and focus on my work. This truly helped me.”
Grief also concerns young people
But is the topic also relevant for young people? Cooperation partner Stefan Hund had some reservations. “At first we were scared that the students would not dare touch that topic”, he admits. But this concern turned out to be unfounded. Immediately, six interested students registered. “I could have covered the topic twice”, Hillebrecht says in retrospect.
In the run-up, the engineering firm had asked themselves: How do mid-20-year-olds relate to this topic? The subsequent answer: Majorly. "From the loss of grandparents to the death of a beloved pet, all students had already been confronted with the topic of grief at least once in their lives," says Hund.
Handling of death and grief costs companies billions each year
Despite the existing relevance, there are only a few articles on the subject, explains Hund. "It's a classic HR issue - and at the same time it's not." The annual costs of bereavement and death in companies are estimated to be in the double-digit billion range. This makes it potentially the most expensive area of responsibility for companies.
Another problem in addition to the costs? “You can get insurance against fire, but not against grief,” Heinke Wedler explains, whose company specialises on occupational safety and occupational healthcare management. “Prevention is essential to us,“ she emphasises. But what is the right preparation for bereavement? With regard to proper preparation for a bereavement, Hund speaks of a "triad" consisting of a "black fire safety folder", monthly group training sessions and an emergency telephone number. In the event of an emergency, this is intended to provide prompt support from nationwide advisors specialising in different areas.
The essential findings
As part of the cooperation, participating companies completed a survey questionnaire. What was surprising to both cooperation partners? 80 per cent of participants said they had already experienced a bereavement that had affected their work. Even more important: Approximately the same number said that they would have liked a recommendation on how to deal with the issue appropriately.
The cooperation partners conducted a Zoom interview and streamed it on LinkedIn. The topic met with great public interest, with over a thousand viewers attending live. “This broke a taboo,” Hund says. In the end, this resulted in a podcast of its own. In the podcast called “Das Schwere LEICHT gesagt – Wir holen „Trauer im Unternehmen“ aus der teuren Tabu-Ecke” (which translates to “Saying the hard things EASILY - We take “grief in companies” out of the expensive taboo zone”), various experts from different fields share their expertise, from the crime scene cleaner to the post-suicide counsellor.
The right preparation is key
"As a manager, you need to have an answer ready for when you are confronted with grief," emphasises Hund. This makes it all the more important to have a guideline from which the right action can be derived. "You can prepare that well."
The manager should first seek a personal dialogue. "The very first contact is the most important," Hund emphasises. The aim is to convey to employees that they are important to you as a person, not just as a "human resource". On this basis, an existing relationship of trust could be strengthened. "If, on the other hand, the manager hides in his office and says: 'Grief is a private matter - you have to give your full performance here', this basis is lost forever," Hund says.
Death and grief are about far more than just the loss of a close relative. Divorce, separation, or cancer also represent an enormous turning point in life and require a sensitive approach. "Miscarriage is also still a taboo subject, but it has an enormous impact on the parents whose furnished nursery remains empty after all," says Hillebrecht. The parents' pain is often not taken seriously.
"If the company puts the employee at the centre, sensitive issues are more likely to be addressed than if it's just about work performance," Wedler says. Internal training is important. Whether annually or monthly. It ensures that the issue can be clarified within the company.
Positive conclusion
To facilitate communication between THWS and the engineering firm, the students elected a spokesperson, Lisa Bauer. Hund was in regular contact with her for updates and questions. “What are the difficulties? Where do companies need more input?”, Hund says. The seminar work covered the entire winter semester. The final result was submitted mid-January and, with 104 analysable questionnaires, was able to provide an initial quantitative overview of the topic for the German-speaking region.
How did the students realise the topic? The students realised the topic "wonderfully", says Hund. Wedler also rates the overall cooperation positively. "This joint project, this transfer of expertise, was a great experience. Both the collaboration with Professor Hillebrecht and with the students was exemplary," she commends. Both can well imagine further collaboration with THWS "The project was a complete success for us,” Wedler says.
