Employee Shocked By Manager’s Cold Response After Learning One Of Her Co-Workers Passed Away On A Work Call
She claimed that there was barely an acknowledgement before all employees were required to move on with the work day.
insta_photos | Shutterstock A woman admitted that her workplace had a rather bland and callous reaction to the death of one of her co-workers, and her experience, unfortunately, resonated with viewers who claimed that they had a similar situation at their respective jobs.
In a since-deleted TikTok video, a content creator named Anna Moylan was shocked when she heard the words that her manager spoke to address a fellow employee who had passed away and admitted that it was quite "messed up."
An employee was shocked by her manager's cold response after learning one of her co-workers passed away on a work call.
"I was just on a call, and the person on the call goes, 'I just need to say something quickly at the end,'" Moylan recalled. Holding back her uncomfortable and surprised laughter at the entire situation, Moylan's colleague shared with the team that someone they work with had passed away recently.
After revealing the news, Moylan explained that everyone on the work call was quiet before Moylan's project manager herded everyone to the next topic. There was not even a single second of silence before work continued as normal, even though one of their colleagues had passed away.
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When someone at work passes away, appropriate measures, like offering a safe space to talk about feelings, allowing people time to grieve if they need to, and taking some time away from their desks, were not offered, which was flabbergasting for Moylan.
"Someone has passed and they literally gave a second of silence and was like, 'Back to work.' On that note, I'm taking a long lunch," she continued. In the comments section, individuals shared similar stories that happened at their workplaces after the death of a co-worker, with many of them being able to relate to Moylan's bizarre work call and the lack of empathy from her manager.
Viewers shared similar circumstances where there seemed to be a lack of empathy after an employee passed away.
"We lost a co-worker very suddenly, and management did a company-wide call (to just inform us), closed the office for the day, brought in grief counselors, and then sponsored a charity walk for his cause of death. And I felt like THAT was the bare minimum," one person shared.
Another added, "We get a weekly company-wide updates email with new hires, etc. A co-worker who passed away was under the 'Farewell' section with the people who quit."
Other people pointed out that this is the reason why workers should never dedicate all of their time and energy to a company that doesn't even care enough to take appropriate measures if they were to pass away.
In fact, a lack of empathy from managers is the number one reason why employees often feel unsatisfied with their jobs.
According to the Society for Human Resource Management, ninety percent of U.S. workers believe empathetic leadership translates to higher job satisfaction, while 79% believe it decreases employee turnover.
Here are some tips that workplaces can take into consideration when an employee passes away.
According to Justworks, managers and company execs are encouraged to allow their employees time off to grieve, however that looks.
It can also be helpful to hire a grief counselor who can meet with employees one-on-one to discuss how they're feeling and give them tips and resources to get through a difficult period.
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It can also make a difference if a workplace goes out of its way to remember its late co-worker, whether that's having a card signed by all employees for the family, a moment of silence (that lasts more than a second), attending a memorial, showing a slideshow or video of memories of the deceased, or dedicating a plaque to the deceased person.
At the end of the day, managers should have more care when it comes to addressing the passing of a co-worker, even if they personally don't feel affected by it.
By showing your employees that you actively care about them, especially in the event of a death, it can lead to a more compassionate environment instead of people feeling as if they're just a cog in the capitalist machine.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.