Death is inevitable. At the same time, death can be hard on all survivors. This is especially true when it comes to someone people know from their work. If you're running a business and an employee has died, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. You can be there to help everyone involved. This includes the deceased. It also includes all family members of the deceased as well as your other employees. Careful management of all matters concerning the deceased is essential. Everyone should be allowed to grieve. As an employer, it's also important to remember that you have specific issues that may apply to you. You are required by law to meet certain legal obligations to any deceased employee.
1- The employee’s workspace
An employee's workspace is their own. Allow everyone to express their grief initially. Ordering appropriate flowers can help. You should treat the space where the employee was working as if they had left and taken another job. This means erasing their access to any sensitive, company-specific data they may have left behind. Now is the time to make sure you are changing employee passwords. This is also the time to take their personal belongings and give them to their loved ones.
If the employee receives company-related benefits, such as a company car or electronics, you need to make sure they are fired as soon as possible. This may also include company uniforms as well as keys that allowed them access to a secure part of your facilities. You want to have all the items they've used in hand and accounted for in a short amount of time. This allows you to ensure that nothing important is missed or potentially compromised.
2- Labor issues
Many employees are part of a much larger group. When an employee dies, you'll want to see what they've done both on their own and in many other types of projects with other people at work. Contact all the people with whom the person has worked directly and indirectly. For example, if they deal with suppliers, you want to let the supplier know that the person is no longer there. This will help others in your company avoid the constant need to explain what happened to others over and over again.
It is also best to avoid hiring someone immediately. This allows everyone a chance to process their loss at work. A temp agency can send someone to help with most of the tasks the employee has done. Once you hire someone, pay attention to the feelings of other employees. Allow them to explain why the deceased was so good at their job and why a new candidate should share those qualities.
3- Financial obligations
Remember your financial obligations to the deceased. Almost everyone has won some form of compensation. This can take the form of a pension, profit-sharing and paid holidays. Make sure you know the exact benefits they have earned over time. They may have left a life insurance policy with a named beneficiary. You must know the name of this person. You will also need to know exactly who is entitled to any form of compensation from the company after the death of the employee.
