Grief doesn’t stop when someone returns to work.
Many organisations track the days immediately after a bereavement. A few days off. Maybe a phased return. And then… everything goes back to normal.
Except it doesn’t. Not really.
Grief often lingers quietly in the background — unspoken, unacknowledged. And unless your workplace is grief literate, those quiet undercurrents can turn into something much more damaging.
Here’s a powerful reminder of what goes unseen:
The silent cost of bereavement at work …
It’s not just the days someone takes off.
It’s what happens after.
What isn’t recorded.
What gets missed.
Absences that get logged as stress/Sick
Performance issues that get flagged without context.
Staff quietly withdrawing.
Good people leaving without saying why.
Grief doesn’t always hit straight away.
It can creep in later.
When everyone else has moved on.
When the “how are you doing?” messages have stopped.
When you’re back at work, pretending you’re fine, holding it all in.
And if no one notices…
If there’s no space to talk, no understanding…
That’s when it starts costing more than time off.
It costs people.
Their confidence. Their motivation.
Their place in the team.
So if you’re only tracking the days immediately after a death, you’re missing the full picture.
You’re missing the silent costs.
The very human ones.
You won’t see it on a spreadsheet.
But it shows up.
In low morale.
In quiet burnout.
In people leaving because they don’t feel safe to stay.
If you don’t recognise grief when it returns…
You’ll miss the ripple effect it causes around it.
This is the part no one talks about.
But it’s the part that matters most.
Why becoming a grief literate workplace matters
Being grief literate at work isn’t just about compassion — it’s about creating a safe, sustainable working culture.
A grief literate workplace is one where staff feel supported, not just in the immediate days after a loss, but in the weeks, months, and even years that follow. When you understand the ripple effect of grief, you can respond with empathy — not just policy.
This helps to:
- Reduce long-term absence
- Support staff retention
- Improve presenteeism and morale
- Create a healthier team culture
Let’s make it safer to stay
If this resonates with you, and you want to explore what grief literacy could look like in your workplace, I’d love to help.
There’s no pressure — just a conversation.
