Labor Day Thoughts on Workplace Grief

Sep 03, 2011 by Victoria Noe, in Friend Grief , Grief , workplace grief

People work in offices and construction sites, museums and restaurants. Rarely do they work completely alone. They have co-workers

I remember my Dad’s funeral. He was a deputy sheriff, and some of the other deputies escorted the funeral procession to the cemetery: riding ahead to block intersections, later standing in formation, adding an air of importance that my Dad would’ve loved. It was how they honored them.

It’s hard to grieve when a co-worker has died. The reminders of the loss are there, in front of you sometimes, all day long. They are replaced, because someone has to do their job. You may feel resentful and angry, perhaps even because their death left you with a whole lot more work to do.

We often spend more waking hours at work than with our families, so it’s no wonder our co-workers are so important to us. But today, as we prepare for the last holiday weekend of the summer, let’s take a moment to remember those we’ve lost who sat in the next cubicle, or performed on stage with us. For they were our friends, too.

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Victoria Noe

Award-winning Author, Speaker, Activist