A firm of funeral directors which has a base in Erewash has launched a new service to help employers better understand and support colleagues who have lost a loved one.
Wathall's, which has an office in Borrowash has already won several regional and national awards for its bereavement support programme. but has now developed a new on-line training programme which explains the grief journey and provides practical advice and support to enable employers give their staff the validation and space they need to come to terms with their loss and better cope with their work and home life.
Helen Wathall MBE is the fifth generation of her family to head the company and spearheaded Dandelions Bereavement Support, in part due to her own experiences of bereavement.
She explained: “Unfortunately grief affects everyone at some point in their lives and according to a 2019 study, 72% of people in Britain have been bereaved in the last five years.
“That figure is now obviously rising due to the Coronavirus pandemic as well as restricted access to treatment and early diagnosis of other illnesses.
“People express and cope with grief in different ways but there are a lot of common factors and emotions that people share throughout their grief journey.
“The purpose of the training is therefore to provide management teams with the knowledge and confidence to support bereaved staff and colleagues both effectively and empathetically.
“This is obviously about duty of care in the workplace but there is also a business benefit as employees are far more likely to return to full productivity far quicker if they receive the right understanding and support.
For more information, please contact Wathall’s Bereavement Support Coordinator, Fay Bloor, on 01332 345268 or email fay.bloor @ wathalls.co.uk
Wathall’s is Derby’s longest established independent funeral directors – serving local communities since 1858 with branches in the city centre, Alvaston, Ashbourne, Borrowash and Burton-on-Trent. They also have a dedicated memorial stonemason business, Art Stone, which is based in Stapenhill and Drakelow.
Helen Wathall was awarded an MBE in the 2019 New Years Honours List for her services to the business community and the company has won several awards for its contribution to the community – including Dandelions Bereavement Support.