Handling Death

Written by B.J. Woodstein, PhD

 

We all know the famous idiom that tells us there are only two certain things in life – death and taxes – but even though taxes are very obviously related to our jobs, in that we owe the government some portion of everything we earn, we seldom think of how death is relevant. Recently, I was listening to an episode of a podcast as I walked my dog and it dawned on me just how important it was to talk more about death and the workplace. By this, I don’t mean workplace accidents, which are of course an unfortunate occurrence, but rather how we actually handle and discuss death and its influence on our lives, and thereby on our working selves.

When I was employed by a university, we’d occasionally be sent an email that was along the lines of the following: “Hi everyone, just to let you know that Jane’s mother has passed away, so Jane will be off work for the next week. Is there anyone who could teach Jane’s classes and/or mark Jane’s students’ essays? Thanks!” In other words, we were briefly given the news about a colleague’s personal loss and then told how the loss might affect us, which is to say by requiring us to work a little bit harder for the period that our colleague would be away from the workplace. There was seldom any real compassion, unless the deceased person was familiar to us (i.e. “You’ll all remember Nicholas’s dad from the holiday parties Nicholas used to throw. Jim’s anecdotes were the stuff of legend and he will definitely be missed.”). And there was never any deeper discussion about the death and what it truly meant, beyond the need for someone to fill in for Jane or Nicholas or whoever was going through the grieving period. 

In response to those emails, I’d usually send a brief message to the affected person saying, “I’m sorry for your loss. Thinking of you at this difficult time.” I never got a reply and I never expected one; in fact, I often added, “No need to reply to this message”, because I didn’t want someone grieving to feel there was yet another thing they had to do at a point when they probably didn’t have much energy at all. I didn’t think there was anything more to add to the conversation, in that we handled the situation both factually and with distance.

But now, I have started to realise that we do in fact need more of a conversation around death; while there are many directions this conversation can and should go in, in terms of the workplace, I think that the two key topics are what we say (or not) and what we do when it comes to death. 

 

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Extra Holidays, Extra Staff Satisfaction, Extra Productivity

Photo by Linus Mimietz on Unsplash

When I first moved to Sweden, I was taken aback by the way the country basically closes down for the summer. For five to six weeks, many workplaces shut, and employees head off to their cabins in the forest or along the coast. People move to a slower pace of life, with an emphasis on being together, eating good food and enjoying nature. From my American perspective, I couldn’t understand it. Wasn’t working long hours and making lots of money the most important aspect of a workplace? How could you be dedicated to your job if you went swimming all summer long? I was used to the concept of having a two-week summer vacation at most in the US and I thought that this protestant, capitalist focus on working hard throughout the year was what made society successful.

However, living in Sweden helped me realise that far from being a hindrance to a growing economy and personally satisfying careers, long breaks actually contributed to just those things. People benefit from having a significant chunk of time to rest and refresh. Their moods improve from spending the long sunny days (and long sunny nights – Sweden is quite far north, after all, and the midnight sun is a reality there) with their friends and family and devoting attention to their hobbies and passions. In mid-August, they return to work feeling revitalised and energetic, and are able to dive back into their tasks with a renewed sense of purpose and pleasure.

I began to adapt my work schedule to the Swedish one, enjoying not just the long summer break, but also the “sports holiday” in February (when many people go skiing), and more extensive periods off of work at other points in the year too. Another surprising aspect of the workplace there was the fact that people came to work at 8.30 or 9 am (not earlier), took one or two extended coffee-and-pastry breaks (the infamous “fika”) each day to chat with their colleagues, got plenty of things done, and still clocked off on time, without bringing work home with them. Sure, there were some obsessive workers, but they were viewed with some suspicion. In fact, someone once described me as “industrious”, and he meant it in a pejorative sense, because he thought I worked more than a good Swede should. The norm there was a careful work-life balance, where it was implicitly understood that time away from work contributed to people’s mental well-being, which in turn ultimately benefitted the workplace.

To read the full article, “Protest: When the Dust Has Settled”, you must be a PILAA Member.

Common Goals and Differences of Opinion: The Bibby Stockholm

“Nobody in the world, nobody in history, has ever gotten their freedom by appealing to the moral sense of the people who were oppressing them.” – Assata Shakur

Bibby Stockholm, the name of the UK Government’s controversial “floating prison”, as some have called it, shows us an example of differing opinions, yet common goals, in the race to prevent what has largely been seen as a controversial plan to house illegal immigrants. The Bibby Stockholm is an engineless barge used for accommodation since 1992, previously being utilised to house asylum seekers in Germany and the Netherlands, the homeless and construction teams, working off the Scottish coast. Whilst the government has stood steadfast with pursuing this course of action, the arrival of the barge on the 17th of July of this year, has and continues to face steep opposition from Dorset Council and from the locals of the Isle of Portland themselves, the town where the barge is to be docked in. On the day that the barge was set to arrive, we saw protestors waving their placards and shouting against its arrival. Whilst there was a unanimous view in opposition to the government on why the barge should not be there, the reasons underpinning them were split amongst rival protestors.

The first camp of protestors were campaigning against the barge residing at Portland, for the adverse effects it would have on the services in the community, with placards saying “Portland Port Betrays Portland” and “Dorset Council ‘Barged Up’ with Portland Port”. In this camp, were voices, from locals who were highlighting their safety, by questioning why 500 men were only to be kept onboard. In the other camp, you had protestors who were against the barge, due to the immoral principles of housing illegal immigrants on it, with even the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) raising concerns with its health and safety. It was not so much then, that the immigrants should not come to Portland, but rather it was the means in which they were doing so, taking offence with the barge itself being used. Placards from the anti-racist campaign group Stand up to Racism, stating “Refugees and Migrants Welcome Here. No to Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism. Black Lives Matter” and “Refugees Welcome: Stop The Far Right”. Perhaps the one placard that traversed both camps and viewpoints, was one held by a protestor, declaring “Care for Refugees and care for Portland too.” (1)

This article in some ways leads on from last month’s story, Protest: When the Dust Has Settled, where we discussed the theme of protest, and its nature, from marches on the street, to seeing how it can be utilised in the workplace. Our aim here is not so much to look at the protests in themselves, but rather to look at what can be learnt from the differing opinions on the Bibby Stockholm from the perspective of the protestors who were in unity with each other, whilst being in opposition to the Government. Further, how then do you close the gulf in differences in opinions, and how do you convey your message of protest, with those in positions of power, like the Government, who you are trying to convince to change their views.

To read the full article, “Protest: When the Dust Has Settled”, you must be a PILAA Member.

“Protest: When the Dust Has Settled”

Pride month is as we have just witnessed, takes places each year in the month of June. The annual celebration kicks off international marches and events, locally, nationally and internationally. There was July Pride on the 1st of July, New York City Pride on the 25th of June and not forgetting the iconic Dyke March that took place the day before. Hailed as the LGBTQ capital of the UK, there is Brighton and Hove Pride, on the 5th of August, and not least forgetting UK Black Pride, which is “the world’s largest celebration for African, Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American and Caribbean-heritage LGBTQI+ people” (1) and is celebrated on the 4th of August. Whilst each march sees the community come together in celebration and solidarity, one must not forget that “Pride is still a protest”. (2)

No better is this understood, than when marching in the recent Pride in London and seeing placards on the side-lines from fundamentalist Christians, stating that the LGBTQIA+ community should repent for their sins. This was in stark contrast to the purpose of this year’s pride march, themed ‘Never March Alone: Championing Trans Allyship’. From seeing the battle between division and hate and one of love and solidarity, it was a reminder to all of us, of the origins of Pride, which started off as a march and not a parade. In its first iteration it was called the Christopher Street Liberation March, marking a year after the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York. These uprisings, saw community-led violent rebellions, in response to the consistent and targeted harassment by the police. This year’s London Pride, as with the theme, saw more placards highlighting trans rights, given the current social and political climate, amid growing anti-trans rhetoric. We also saw the environmental activist group Just Stop Oil, who as their name indicates, are against the production of new fossil fuels and licensing. Protestors from the group blocked the road in front of a Coca-Cola truck, which halted the parade, and were later arrested by the police.

According to the LGBT members of the group, and let us not forget, that you can be from various communities and have differing views and values, the reasons behind their protest, was due to pride’s acceptance of sponsorship from “high-polluting industries.” (3) Further they said:

“These partnerships embarrass the LGBTQ+ community at a time when much of the cultural world is rejecting ties to these toxic industries.” “LGBTQ+ people are “suffering first” in the “accelerating social breakdown” caused by the climate crisis, they added. “Pride was born from protest.” (4)

And so protest is the theme of this month’s article. 

To read the full article, “Protest: When the Dust Has Settled”, you must be a PILAA Member.