Izkušnje žalujočih zaposlenih po vrnitvi na delovno mesto : priporočila za delodajalce

Jagodic, Gregor (author), Bajec, Boštjan (mentor), Poštuvan, Vita (comentor)

Delovnim organizacijam primanjkuje smernic, kako žalujoče zaposlene ponovno vključiti v delovno okolje (Gilbert in Kelloway, 2021). V magistrski nalogi smo si zadali razviti priporočila delovnim organizacijam za podporo takih delavcev pri uspešni vrnitvi. Ker je žalovanje na delovnem mestu slabo raziskan fenomen, smo morali najprej preučiti individualne izkušnje žalujočih zaposlenih. Zanimala nas je njihova izkušnja vrnitve na delo po smrti bližnje osebe, odnosa med žalovanjem in delom ter podpore njihovih delovnih organizacij. Izvedli smo polstrukturirane intervjuje na vzorcu 12 redno zaposlenih žensk s povprečno starostjo 46,4 leta (SD = 10,7 let), ki so doživele izgubo bližnjega v obdobju od 1 do 5 let pred raziskavo. Analizirali smo jih po principu fenomenološke interpretativne analize. Žalujoče so bile hvaležne za izraze sočutja iz svojega delovnega okolja, vendar so od nekaterih doživele distanco in so lahko pogrešale osebni stik. Njihovo psihično in fizično stanje je bilo drugačno kot pred izgubo, opažale so spremembe v delovnem vedenju in odnosu do dela. Vrnitev v delovno okolje je lahko prineslo številne pozitivne posledice, vendar le ob stabilnem delovnem okolju in kakovostnih socialnih odnosih – v odsotnosti teh pogojev je bila vrnitev za žalujoče veliko bolj zahtevna. Bistveno več kot podporo delovne organizacije so udeleženke omenjale podporo delovnega okolja. Najpomembnejši vidiki so bili obveščenost delovnega okolja, potrditev izgube, pritiski za hitrejšo vrnitev, sočutje in pripravljenost kolektiva za pomoč, prilagodljivost delovnega časa in okolja ter upoštevanje individualnih potreb žalujočih. Oblikovali smo seznam priporočil za delodajalce in akterje v delovnih okoljih.

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: izguba, žalovanje, vračanje na delo, podpora organizacije, polstrukturiran intervju, interpretativna fenomenološka analiza
• Work type: Master's thesis/paper
• Typology: 2.09 - Master's Thesis
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Place of publishing: Ljubljana
• Publisher: [G. Jagodic]
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: 75 str.
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-183791
• UDC: 159.9:331.1(043.2)
• COBISS.SI-ID: 283365891
• Publication date in RUL: 19.06.2026

Secondary language

• Language: English
• Title: The experiences of bereaved employees after returning to their workplace : recommendations for employers

Abstract

Organizations lack guidelines on how to reintegrate bereaved employees into the work environment (Gilbert and Kelloway, 2021). In this master's thesis, we set out to develop recommendations for organizations to support such employees in their successful return. Since grief at work is a poorly researched phenomenon, we first had to examine the individual experiences of bereaved employees. We focused on their experience of returning to work after the death of a loved one, the relationship between grief and work, and the support of their organizations. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in a sample of 12 permanently employed women with an average age of 46.4 years (SD = 10.7 years), who had experienced the loss of a loved one from 1 to 5 years prior to the study. Our analysis followed the principles of interpretative phenomenological analysis. The bereaved employees were grateful for expressions of compassion from organizational members, but they experienced distance from some individuals and could miss personal contact. Their mental and physical condition was different than before the loss, and they noticed changes in their work behaviour and attitude towards work. Returning to the workplace could bring many positive consequences, but only with a stable work environment and quality social relationships – in the absence of these prerequisites, the return was much more demanding for the bereaved. The participants talked about the support of the work environment substantially more than the support of the organizations. The most important aspects were the workplace being informed of the loss, the acknowledgment of the loss, the pressure for an earlier return, the compassion and willingness of organizational members to help, the flexibility of working hours and the workplace environment, and the consideration of the individual needs of the bereaved. We have created a list of recommendations for employers and other organizational members.

• Keywords: bereavement, grief, return to work, organizational support, semi-structured interview, interpretative phenomenological analysis