How to Announce the Death of an Employee

Death is always a very difficult subject to discuss. When an employee passes away, it's your duty as a manager to break the sad news to that person's colleagues. It will have been a shock to you and it will come as a shock to them. Once you have processed your own feelings, you'll have to impart the news to other people in as gentle and sensitive a way as possible.

The first thing you ought to do is extend your condolences to the family and ask their permission to let that person's colleagues know. They're highly unlikely to refuse, but they may want a little time to themselves before it's widely shared. The last thing you want is employees posting condolence messages on social media before the family has had a chance to grieve in private.

You should only ever announce a death in person, so the next thing you must do is call an impromptu meeting. You need to balance your tone between direct and sympathetic, because death isn't a subject you can sugar-coat, but nor can you avoid the emotional response it might trigger. Even if someone wasn't close to the deceased, they can still feel deeply affected.

The next step is allowing employees time to grieve, and don't expect the same level of productivity. If you can, offer workplace counselling to those who are struggling. It can help bring people together if they think of something they can do for the family, perhaps donations to a chosen charity or sending a condolence card signed by the team.

Finally, tread carefully in going forward. Don't clear the person's desk immediately, instead leave it a few days and do it after office hours, when nobody can see what might be an upsetting occasion. You may also want to rearrange the office so that any future replacement isn't made to sit in the deceased colleague's place – this could spark memories for people and wouldn't be fair on the newcomer.