Paper short abstract:

Anthropological elements on work conditions, management and grief in the professional realm

Paper long abstract:

Each year, about 8% of the active population takes a bereavement leave, from half a day to a week: how do these many persons feel when they return back at their workplace? What kind of initiatives do the human resources services take - or do not take - once they are informed about an employee's grief? How do we talk and communicate about grief within firms? Based on a field research (2007-2009) conducted with 22 medium-sized and big companies in the French-speaking part of Valais, Switzerland, this communication will address these questions, focusing on two major aspects: first, it will describe the place of mourning and loss in professional relationships and work structures; second, it will comment on the discretionary power of the hierarchy regarding death and bereavement and according to the different categories of workers. It eventually aims at debating the 'right' to grieve at the workplace and the necessity to take into consideration death and dying issues in professional relationships.