It’s a sudden array of events and emotions that you might experience when a coworker or employee passes away. Even if the person was coping with a serious illness, there are so many unique issues that must be considered in the wake of the loss. Some of these have to do with how the workplace will be affected by the departure of an employee and others have to do with the emotions of the employees themselves.

Kinds of Questions to Be Answered After an Employee Loss

There are many different types of events that can cause disruptions in the workplace and raise critical questions. But one that can have significant impact on your office, as well as employee morale, is the sudden loss of an employee. When an employee passes away, knowing what to do and how to proceed appropriately can give peace of mind to owners, managers and employees alike.

In many cases in which an employee suddenly passes away, no one anticipated this circumstance. An accidental death or a wrongful death, such as a car accident or a slip and fall injury, can be very unexpected and unfortunate news for those who learn about it. When an employee passes away however, depending on the employee’s role in the company, this can lead to months of chaos without proper planning.

As the workforce ages, even outside of accidental deaths, the possibility that coworkers or employees will die rises as well. Research conducted in a 2010 Health Industry Forum shows that more than 625,000 working age adults pass away every single year.

Given that by 2030 more than one-fifth of the workforce will be aged 65 or older, the sudden loss of an employee is becoming an increasingly important concern for human resources professionals and company owners alike. While no one knows when or even if this is something they will have to deal with in the workplace, it is important to be as prepared as possible with an action plan to support the company during this difficult transition period.

Very few company owners have done enough to prepare for death in the workplace. When policies are prepared with the assistance of human resources professionals to deal with death in the workplace, usually the policies have to do with granting employees a particular number of days off, generate bereavement leave and this is scaled based on the closeness of a relative that passes away. Usually this is the end of the preparation for an office workplace.

This has no way of dealing with the death of a coworker. It is important that employers be prepared to deal with this situation with respect, wisdom and grace. There are several different ways that employers can help with these situations and make things easier for the family members of the coworker who passed away.

The first thing that employers can do is to assist their employees with filling out beneficiary forms for 401(k), health medical savings enrollment and life insurance. Many people fill out these beneficiary forms as soon as they receive these workplace benefits, but promptly forget about them. Major transitions in an employee’s life such as the death of a loved one, a divorce or a new marriage may generate the need to update this information.

Having a company policy in which employees are reminded at least once or twice a year to update this information, can make it much easier for everyone when an employee suddenly goes. Many of the repercussions associated with the company after the death of an employee will fall to how the office managers communicate. For many people, a business is like a family, and when a coworker dies, it is natural that the other employees will want to know what happened. However, as the employer, it is critical to know what information to provide to the staff without furthering a rumor mill.

Be Mindful of Privacy Issues

It is critical for employers to realize that HIPAA laws apply to individual privacy rights even after that person passes away. You are only allowed to release information that the family members allow you to provide, or information that is public from other sources like an obituary.

When it comes to telling people outside the company – because that employ may have had business or client relationships with those outside of coworkers – you will need to be proactive in putting the word out so that vendors or customers are aware, and so that you can give them a heads up them about any impacts this will have on your existing relationship. It’s important for managers to remember that the entire workforce will need assistance and support when an employee passes away.

Coworkers frequently need help with grief when an employee passes away. The duties of the deceased still need to be carried out, but it often feels insensitive to put up ads for that job shortly after that person passes away. In the interim, companies frequently shift duties to various other employees and departments until appropriate time has passed to allow them to post a job and conduct the process for interviewing new individuals.

Involving staff in the decisions about what should happen with the overflow work can give them something powerful and positive to do. This also makes the transition easier for all employees as a whole and for the company. If the deceased is a supervisor, employees may be concerned about their own future as well as their grief. It is critical to keep staff assured that all of their individual situations will be handled with care and thoughtfulness, and that the company is concerned about their own emotional impacts as well.

It is likely that when an employee passes away that many of the coworkers will want to attend the memorial or the funeral. If the staff cannot attend the funeral on paid time, it’s a good idea to consider a memorial service you schedule on your own.  Grief counseling opportunities should also be provided to staff as appropriate and available.