Grief is difficult to deal with. It forces us to adapt and change. Through this change, it can be distracting and painful. Unfortunately, many of us cannot walk away from life but must learn to cope with grief while attending school or working. This is a difficult process but sometimes can also be therapeutic. It frees the mind and gives us some normalcy. Some may even attempt to escape into work to avoid the pain. This is as much a problem as those who cannot focus on work due to grief.
Learning to adjust at work is important. Life must go on. It is important to let your manager or supervisor know of your situation. It may be important also to find counseling to help one adjust. It can definitely be tough to work while grieving but it is something one must do.
The article, “7 ways to deal with grief at work” by Erica Sweeney looks the difficulty of coping while at work but looks at ways to help individuals move forward with their career task. She states,
“Many employees aren’t able to take much time off from work to process a loss. While 88% of employers offer bereavement leave, according to the Society for Human Resource Management, it averages about three days. That amount can vary greatly, however, since no federal requirements for bereavement leave exist. TheFamily and Medical Leave Act doesn’t specifically cover it, and the Fair Labor Standards Act doesn’trequire paid time off to attend funerals.”
To read the entire article, please click here
With careers and work so important to financial stability, it is critical to overcome grief to the extent one can cope while at work. While we cannot escape grief, we have to be able to live with it. Please also review our Grief Counseling Program and see if it matches your academic and professional goals.