Building Compassionate Workplaces: Training Managers to Support Employees in Times of Crisis

A few years ago, my manager pulled an April Fool’s joke claiming to be pregnant. She was not. (Zero stars. DO NOT recommend… ever). Fifteen days later, I found myself experiencing my first miscarriage.

Supporting employees or direct reports requires special training. As I reflect on where I was and how I wish I had been supported during this journey, I want to suggest four types of training that businesses can implement for people leaders to better support their employees.

Bereavement Training: Everyone experiences loss—pets, parents, friends, children. Most companies offer time off for employees to manage and navigate the arrangements and emotions during this period. Managers should be trained on how to hold delicate conversations. If a person’s parent died, we wouldn’t fathom making a joke about it.

Communication Training: Skills in this area will equip managers and HR professionals to actively listen and express compassion. They should know how to ask open-ended questions, validate their employee’s experience, and provide support while respecting boundaries and confidentiality. For example, when my manager offered to pray for me, I welcomed it, but when she laughed out loud while doing so, I felt even more embarrassed and angry.

Policy and Procedure Training: Managers should be familiar with company policies regarding leave, work arrangements, and employee assistance programs (if they exist). By knowing what resources are available, they can support affected individuals and communicate how to access these resources. When a manager can outline steps to promote self-care, impacted employees have one fewer thing to worry about.

Grief Response Training: Managers and HR professionals should be able to respond maturely to sudden losses or traumatic events in the workplace. Without proper training, leaders are not equipped to provide immediate support and may continue with “business as usual,” which can feel callous and unsupportive to affected employees.

I have always assumed that it wasn’t that people didn’t care or weren’t empathetic when I experienced loss. I think there was a genuine lack of awareness on how to address the situation. Let’s create an environment where employees don’t feel isolated and more supported when bringing forth difficult news.

What were some things you wished you had as an employee or as a manager, let’s talk about it!