The death of an employee can be deeply stressful, painful and destabilizing for the workforce, particularly for those who worked closely with the deceased.

When an employee dies, it can help to have processes in place so everyone knows what they need to do.

IF THE EMPLOYEE DIES AT WORK

The following actions should be undertaken as a priority of the death occurs in the workplace:

• Call 000
• Contact the employee’s emergency contact person if designated, or family. Ensure that the family is informed about the circumstances around the death when appropriate.
• Contact WorkCover immediately. This is a requirement under OHS legislation.
• Allow members of the family to visit the workplace if requested.
• Allow the family to arrange for a religious person to attend to the body, if approved by the authorities.
• Consider organising a guard of honour when the body is removed from the worksite.
• Ensure that the OH&S representative is involved in investigations around the death to identify the causes.
• Other workers on the site may be permitted to go home on full pay for the remainder of the day.

LETTING STAFF KNOW OF THE DEATH

Regardless of whether the death occurred at work or elsewhere, co-workers of the deceased should be informed sensitively, honestly and with compassion. Share details which the family are comfortable with sharing. Provide funeral or memorial service details, as well as a few words about the impact the person had on you or your favourite memory of them. 

Plan for counselling of employees where needed. It is also reasonable to expect that many employees will be unable to complete their work on the day of the announcement, and this reaction should be anticipated. Remind supervisors that grief may impact employees’ behaviour and performance.

Consider:

• Informing the people closest to the employee first
• Communicating the news in a private environment if possible
• Allowing staff time to grieve and attend the funeral
• Making counselling available if needed
• Encouraging staff to share their feelings

It may also be necessary to contact external people who had dealings with the employee. This may be via email, letter or phone call. A formal statement may also need to be prepared if the person was well known professionally.

THE NEXT OF KIN

Next of kin should always be dealt with sensitively.

If the death occurred in the workplace, a manager who knew the employee well may be best placed to break the news.

At an appropriate time, the next of kin should also be advised of:

• Life insurance or death-in-service benefits (as applicable)
• Payment of final wages
• Pension entitlements
• Delivery of the employee’s personal effects from the workplace
• Ensure that the family is receiving assistance with the workers’ compensation systems and that obstacles are avoided where possible.

If appropriate, ask if colleagues may attend the funeral. Staff may also wish to contribute toward flowers for the funeral. A letter or card or condolence may also be sent from the workplace.

Flowers, cards and notes which arrive in the workplace following the death should be delivered to or collected by the family. A ‘memory book’ filled out by co-workers may also be appropriate.

FUNERAL

Be sensitive to the family’s requests. Ask the name of the contact person who can provide funeral details when known. 

If the funeral is a small, private event, employers may wish to arrange a memorial service. This should be done in consultation with the employee’s next of kin, and should take any religious sensitivities into account.

If a memorial service is conducted in the workplace, you may wish to invite the family to attend.

Be flexible if co-workers would like to attend the funeral and provide paid time off if possible.

PAYROLL

In practical terms, payroll will need to:

• Calculate and pay any outstanding wages, including leave entitlements owing. This is payable to the executor to whom probate has been granted, or the administrator appointed by the Probate Court.
• Consider whether they were receiving statutory payments such as maternity leave payments
• Consider whether they were a member of a company share scheme

STAFFING ISSUES

• Reallocate work to existing staff
• Consider employing a temp to cover the work while going through the recruitment process
• As best as you are able, try to work out any planned appointments or commitments which the deceased may have had. The workplace may need to contact others to advise them of the death
• Disable access codes and computer access, as would occur for a terminated or resigned employee.
• Ensure that voicemail messages are retrieved.
• Put the deceased employee’s phone line into announce-only mode with a new recorded greeting. You don’t need to go into details about the situation, however suggesting a new point of contact may be useful. A message such as “If you are trying to read [name of deceased], please be aware that [name] is handling his/her matters.”
• Set up an auto-respond on the email system, providing information about who they should contact, as well as an auto-forward to the appropriate person’s inbox.

PLAN AHEAD

Although we all hope that it will never be needed, planning a policy around workplace deaths and bereavement is advisable. It can help to have a checklist of what needs to be done at a time which is both stressful and emotional for people.

Further information on the development of a bereavement policy can be found here.

RESOURCES

http://www.grief.org.au/

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10-things/10-tips-for-handling-the-death-of-an-employee/

http://www.shrm.org/templatestools/samples/hrforms/articles/pages/cms_003755.aspx

http://www.ohsrep.org.au/faqs/ohs-reps-@-work-faqs-for-ohs-reps-/a-death-at-the-workplace

http://workplaceinfo.com.au/payroll/payroll-management/death-of-employee