An employee suffers a bereavement

Employees have lives outside the office too

John, the manager of a large department in the company, has recently suffered the loss of his wife, Jo, to cancer. John is in his mid-40s while his wife was 39 when she died. John and Jo had two children, now aged 10 and 12 years. John says he is coping, has made arrangements for the children to be looked after while he is at work and, apart from the contractual allocation of compassionate leave, has taken no time off work. However, the HR manager is concerned that John may be a ‘time bomb’ and that the effects of his loss may blow up in the future. Privately the manager is especially worried about the effect on the large department and its efficiency if John has a breakdown.

We recognise the interplay between factors in an employee’s personal life, their work life, and their overall mental health, and advise on appropriate support where needed.