Dealing with the death of an employee will be the most difficult task a manager will ever face. There are no numbers, no dollars, no memos, none of the day to day trappings of business. It is all about human relations.
This death affects everyone, the employee's co-workers, direct reports and managers. It will affect the customers he or she had contact with, the vendors, even the delivery guy from Fed Ex. This death will ripple outward in the community that is the business and dealing with the ramifications will be important.
How the employee died will guide the response. An employee dying after a long illness will require a response that differs from an employee dying on the job. A good manager will have already given some thought to a general process and the company may already have procedures in place.
The people who knew the dead employee will grieve. Everyone grieves in a different manner and goes through the stages of grief at a different speed. Recognize that some people are not going to be at their best immediately after the death, and a few may take a long time to recover.
The death should be announced to the company in a respectful and caring manner. It is often news that can best be delivered in person so managers should be telling their employees of the death in small, private groups. Those managers should be prepared to provide some comfort, within the bounds of the business relationship, and affected co-workers could be allowed the remainder of the work day off if needed.
Telling people outside the company about the death should be done in a way that respects the privacy of the dead employee's family. Outsiders should be assured that the employee will be missed and that his or her work will continue. that gives the employee's replacement the opportunity to contact the vendor, customer or other outsider and establish the personal contact that they will need to take over the empty position.
Someone from the company who was close to the employee should be given the task of liaison for the family. The liaison can work with the family on any benefits that may be due them, clearing out the desk or locker, and conveying to the company what they family's wishes are concerning flowers or contributions. This is a position where concern, tact and diplomacy are important.
The company should be represented at any services by the employee's manager and even management above that level. In a small company, the owners should be present at services. The company may wish to make time taken for services non-chargeable to employees who wish to attend. In other words, those employees do not have to use personal time and will be paid for their time.
Dealing with the death of an employee will be difficult for all concerned. The employee was a member of a community, the company he worked for, and his loss will be felt by the community. Management at all levels should treat that loss as important, and worthy of note and concern. While the circumstances of the death may alter some of the suggestions made here, the co-workers of the deceased employee, the family and friends, and the business contacts will all remember how the company and its management reacted. Caring, concern and community will help everyone deal with the death.