Let employees grieve their pets

The Maverick Paradox Podcast

In this Short Talk episode Judith Germain speaks to Erika Sinner about the importance of catering to diverse grieving experiences among employees in the workplace. Erika Sinner introduced herself as the CEO of a company that helps small-to-mid-sized pharmaceutical companies bring products to market, and as the owner of a company called Tiny Superheroes that helps kids with disabilities see their disability as a superpower. She also mentioned that she recently published a book about the grief associated with losing pets.

Key Takeaways

• Grief is a natural human experience that impacts work productivity, so employers should support employees through difficult times
• Building trust and having regular 1-on-1 check-ins allows managers to understand employees' needs during grief
• Compassionate leave policies should be flexible to accommodate different types of loss (pets, miscarriages, etc.)
• Prioritise creating a supportive culture over rigid policies that may be abused

In this conversation Judith and Erika explored the complexities of creating bereavement policies that are inclusive of diverse relationships and types of loss, such as the death of a pet or a miscarriage. They discussed the need to balance consistency with compassion, and the role of managers in having empathetic conversations to understand each employee's unique situation.

Erika emphasised that while the workplace is not a family, it should be a supportive community where employees look out for one another and are willing to adjust and cover for each other during difficult times. She stressed the importance of managers building trust and genuine connections with their team members.

Overall, Erika brought a fresh perspective on supporting employees through diverse grieving experiences, which is not always a top priority for organisations. Her insights challenged some common assumptions about bereavement policies.

Erika Sinner, CEO, Director and Author of Pets are Family.

You can find out more about our guest and today's episode in this Maverick Paradox Magazine article here.

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Judith's book: The Maverick Paradox: The Secret Power Behind Successful Leaders.

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