Frank Eyetsemitan
The types of loss experienced (including levels of attachment to the deceased) and employer’s reaction to the employee’s loss were explored. Participants were made of up 145 volunteers who had been bereaved while working. 35 were forty years and above, while 109 were thirty-nine years and under. Their ages ranged from 18-65 years (Average=30.95) with 67% females and 33% males. Respondents were drawn from various organizations in southern Illinois in the USA. Results showed that the “Relationship of Community” type of loss was experienced mostly by employees who were ages 39 and below; and the “Relationship of Attachment” type of loss mostly by employees who were 40 years and above–indicating a closer attachment to the deceased. However, irrespective of type of loss, there was no significant difference in the number of paid days granted workers for mourning and returning back to full-blown work, by their employers. Employers should be more attentive to the type of loss experienced by their employees, as this could have implications for worker productivity and psychopathology.
