Grief at Work — Supporting a Colleague Who Has Experienced a Significant Loss

“When someone is going through a storm, your silent presence is more powerful than a million empty words.”

– Thema Davis

Temporarily Out of Order — Grief as a Mental Health Issue in the Workplace

Several years ago, I delivered a presentation at a Tourism & Hospitality Occupational Health & Safety Summit. The theme of the conference was “The healthy workplace: A state of mind,” so the presentations touched on a variety of issues pertaining to mental health in the workplace.

My presentation was entitled, “Behind the Scenes; A Grief Deconstructed.” I had delivered this particular presentation before — but mainly to volunteers working with victim service units of police services.

For this health & safety summit, however, I adapted my presentation for the Tourism & Hospitality Industry and focused on 2 key messages:

1. The importance of workplace safety: Using the circumstances that led to my husband, John’s, death on the job to drive home the fact that the public has a role to play in ensuring their workplace is safe for everyone, including emergency responders who may have to attend. John was investigating a…