The aim of this pre-conference workshop run by Jan Sunoo of Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services and Brenda Paik Sunoo, a journalist and grief recovery counselor, was to raise awareness about a subject of very little study in the workplace: supporting co-workers during times of loss. At any time some people in the work-place will be suffering from grief. This might be due to the death of a spouse, parent, child, or friend. It could be divorce or separation, a trauma such as a serious illness or being the victim of a crime, or the stress associated with retrenchment, termination, or immigration. When the subject was raised, it became evident that everyone in the room had a story that he/she wanted to share. Yet the dominant view was that the workplace (if not society in general) is uncomfortable or unskilled in handling grief or opening a dialogue to assist in healing.
