In many work environments, coworkers are very much like an extended family. We spend most of our waking hours with them, producing very strong emotional bonds. We have seen them go through both the joys and pains of life – in and out of the workplace.

As a result, it is most probable that a coworker’s death can be as difficult to cope with as a close family member. This is especially true if this person were particularly close to you, or if you shared a close space within the workplace.

Sending a condolence gift is a common and appropriate way to express sympathy to friends, colleagues, clients and others. Depending on the traditions and customs observed by the individual the most traditional items include baked goods and desserts, fruit, dried fruit, & nuts, and assorted chocolates. These types of gift items provide both comfort and nourishment to mourning families and are a respectful way to offer condolences.

Sending a Condolence Gift

Following a death, the family gathers and often receives many visitors. One of the most customary and traditional ways to express sympathy and offer condolences is by bringing or sending food and condolence baskets to the family members of the deceased. There are several different types of food arrangements, baskets and sympathy gifts that may be sent. Appropriate food items and gift baskets include baked goods and desserts, fruit, dried fruit, & nuts, and assorted chocolates. A gift basket is generally delivered or shipped to the home of the mourning family. When a family is mourning a loss, it is common to provide support and comforting items. Additionally, those who cannot attend the funeral or memorial service may consider sending a sympathy basket or other condolence item to the home.

Find and Send a Condolence Gift

Select a sympathy gift that helps to comfort family and friends. You can trust eCondolence.com’s team of professionals to express your condolences appropriately. You will find the highest-quality products and items carefully selected by the eCondolence.com team that are appropriate to send family, friends, colleagues and others.

Gourmet Gifts Baked Goods & Desserts Fruit Baskets Assorted Chocolates

What to When a Co-Worker Dies

prolonged illness, there still may be feelings of shock and depression when you actually hear the news.

Expect your life to be both emotionally and physically impacted by the coworker’s death. Although each of us cope with death a little differently, it may be difficult to focus on work for a short while. Such lack of concentration often results in work mistakes that can either be annoying or dangerous. In some cases, the grief may make you more irritated, stressed or tense. Those feelings can make the already busy and stressful work environment even worse, which may create new problems in other areas of your life.

It is also common for a coworker’s death to have a negative effect upon your physical health. Feelings of grief or sadness can disrupt your eating and sleeping patterns. This can rob you of energy and stamina for your job. Grief can also cause people with chronic health issues – such as arthritis, high blood pressure, or asthma to experience flare ups.

Prolonged grief can also lead to depression. Depression has been linked to many health issues, as heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke.

If you begin to feel the effects of dealing with this grief at work, there are a couple of things that you can seek to do. If your workplace has counseling as a part of your health benefits, you may seek a few hours of counseling to work through the trauma. Experienced counselors can offer support and structure to help you come to terms with the loss. You may want to make plans for a memorial or a gesture of condolence to the family members as a collective workplace project.

If you are a manager of people, work with human resources and your supervisors to provide proper channels for coping and recovering from the loss of your coworker.