Helping employees who deal with bereaved customers to have a little heart
Let’s Get Healthy were thrilled to be asked by a client recently to design and deliver a campaign that supports these wonderful employees and help them become resilient to the daily mental challenges of dealing with bereaved customers.
“The day was fantastic. I was slightly apprehensive but am feeling more equipped to deal with the day to day challenges my new job role brings.”
‘Heart’ was designed with the support of a senior management team who took time to put themselves in their teams’ shoes and understand the mental health challenges encountered in the role.
As a nation, I do wonder if we under estimate how hard it is for employees, who, on a daily basis support bereaved customers who have lost loved ones. Everyday, teams of hard-working employees support our family and friends in what is a complex and mentally challenging job. Some work in the NHS, some work in funeral care businesses, others work in care homes, the list is vast. We have an ageing workforce in the UK and many of our colleagues deal with the upset of losing a valuable team member each and every day.
So…. what were our key learnings?
- Involve the senior team right at the start to aid the engagement of teams into the training and overall campaign
- Dealing with personal loss is complex for the customers and employees supporting them, every single detail of the training and campaign has to be thought through
- Heart is about being brave-hearted, resilient and helping adults through the stages of bereavement while being mindful that employees will have lost loved ones too
- The rewards are huge and investment in training will pay dividends with staff feeling confident and resilient both at work and at home
For more information on how to support employees who deal directly with adults who are bereaved, then get in touch on 01924 666295.
