Support groups help teams cope with a colleague's death

Leadership training and employee handbooks rarely cover the subject of coping with the death of a colleague

- Azera Parveen Rahman

Nearly a year after a colleague died, I learnt about her death through social media. Not only did it come as a shock, it pushed me into an abyss of guilt. I scrolled through our last text exchange, and then dialled the phone numbers of those with whom I had spent so many hours in the past, and we reminisced about the days gone by.

Coping with the death of a colleague, "irrespective of whether you have been close", can be a traumatic experience, says Nagpur-based counsellor Vijayshree Bajaj. "A colleague is someone you see on a daily basis. You sit close by, work together, share a meal, perhaps share your personal stories too, every day. There is conversation and there is socialising. So, losing a colleague is like losing a friend," she explains.

Leadership training and employee handbooks don't typically cover the subject of coping with the death of a colleague, leaving managers to muddle through the process of keeping morale and productivity at the same pace while helping the team process their feelings and overcome their sense of loss or fear.

While some may be deeply affected-so much so that it affects their work and personal life-others may be able to cope and move on sooner. Notwithstanding, it may take weeks, even months, for life as we know to come back to "normal".