Comfort a Colleague Who Has Lost a Loved One Through These 10 Thoughtful Bereavement Gifts for Co-Workers (2020)

Comfort a Colleague Who Has Lost a Loved One Through These 10 Thoughtful Bereavement Gifts for Co-Workers (2020)

Losing a loved one is always difficult but knowing there are others around whom you can reach out to does make the pain easier to bear. And while it is easier to comfort someone close to us, things are more formal at the work place. Here are some gifts that will let your co-worker know they have your support and sympathy while maintaining the office decorum. Such times often leaves people at a loss for words, but you can be supportive in other ways.

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Components of a Bereavement Gift for a Coworker

Finding a gift for a coworker who has undergone the tragic loss of someone special can be a huge task. You have to consider their personality while looking for gifts because people react differently to different presents. Especially considering the fact that this is a very delicate moment in their lives and that’s why the need to gift a bereavement gift to them. A coworker is an individual that you share the workplace with, irrespective of their role in that working environment. When faced with kind of a situation, it is upon you and your other coworkers to stretch a hand and try to comfort them.

The following are some of the basic components of a bereavement gift for a coworker

  • Formal: remember that the person in question is a coworker, who at times is not usually a friend or a close friend. Therefore, the bereavement gift should be a formal one not to violate the boundaries of the workplace.

  • All about the coworker: this point can be misunderstood, however, a bereavement gift for a coworker should not be an ambiguous one or with other intentions. It should be clearly and to the point that you are gifting them because they are going through a time of loss.

  • Simple: at this point, many people going through such a situation, they normally do not want gifts that are so sophisticated. A bereavement gift that is well thought goes a long way. Therefore, get a simple gift and they will really appreciate it.

  • Accompanied with a message of support and encouragement: a coworker going through a point of loss is usually in need of encouragement in any form. Therefore, consider writing down some encouraging words that will make them feel better.

Ideas of Bereavement Gifts for Coworkers

The biggest and most important part of giving a bereavement gift to a coworker is coming up with the actual idea of what to give them. Like indicated before, you have to really understand the character of the recipient, otherwise, the present might not be as good as intended. The following are some of the suggestions of what you can gift your coworker when they are going through a time of loss.

Flowers or a Pot of Succulents

Flowers are known to lighten up the mood of anyone by just seeing them. This is the first ideal bereavement present that you can gift your coworker. It is important to note that you are not intending to gift them a gift that will result to a burden in the long run. You aim is to make them feel better in their current situation. Therefore, a good example of the ideal flower to gift as a bereavement gift to a coworker is a succulent plant or flower.

To some, it may not appear to be a good bereavement gift, however, succulents are known for their calm nature and somehow self-dependent. This is ideal because you do not need to pay too much attention to their development but they will still survive. You can get these succulents from various stores including Ferns n Petals online store, Floweraura online store, and June flowers. In addition, they are available for different prices since there is a huge difference in the sizes. However, the price ranges from Rs. 500 to Rs. 1,500.

Jade plant in a yellow shy girl raisin pot for Rs.499. Jade is a low maintenance plant and the planter is 4 inches high. Buy it here.

Traditional Foods

Traditional food always give one a sense of belonging and a feeling of satisfaction. Many times, anyone going through grieve or a loss of a family member or friend, food is normally the last thing on their minds. Therefore, traditional food as a bereavement gift for a coworker is simple and well thought of.

It is however important to understand the cultural aspect of the recipient of the bereavement gift. This is vital since in some cultures, some types of food may be associated with bad things while others may be considered good luck. Therefore, consider all those factors before gifting traditional foods as bereavement gifts. For instance, a vegetarian meal prepared without garlic or even onion is a good idea if your coworker is a Hindu but not so for others. So look for something simple and basic so it will be acceptable to most people and welcoming.

You can consider the co-worker's background as well as what you know of their personal habits to make them something. Alternatively you can buy them something that can be consumed as a snack such as a large box of healthy biscuits.

Self-Care Basket

When one is the process of grieving the loss of a loved one, they go through a process where they fail to take care of themselves as they get lost in the grieving. As mentioned earlier that a good bereavement gift for a coworker should be well thought and simple. This is a good example of what a well thought of gift is. This gift can contain various different things including spiritual books, meditation and relaxation items, or a travel spa set. Since taking care of oneself is the last thing anyone thinks of when going through such a situation, this bereavement gift can make them feel calmer and more collected. The best recommendation is a self care basket is one with soothing items like essence oils.

When people are going through the loss of someone special, they tend to seclude themselves from everyone else. Therefore, when you gift your coworker with a basket full of items such as body butter or oil, or even bath bombs, then they can spend their time feeling calm. You can buy this Grief Self Care Package from Etsy online store at prices ranging from USD 22 to USD 50 (INR 1,500 to 3, 550) depending on the contents of the basket. It includes a second hand book, chocolates, shredded book paper for packaging, soy wax candles, organic shea and cocoa butter, loose leaf tea and coffee.

Motivational Books

A book is a very powerful way of delivering a message, and one that you can keep forever. Gifting a coworker going through a grieving period a book, can impact their lives very positively if the choice of the book made is ideal for their situation. Under this idea, it is important to also have an idea of someone’s beliefs in order to upset them even more in this delicate period. In addition, the book should be an encouragement or a motivational book to show them that there is more awaiting them in life. At this moment having their minds on something else impacting their lives positively may be the best idea yet.

A good example of an ideal book to give is A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis. This book has a huge recount of actual events of how the author lost his wife and how he managed to recover from the whole situation. This is a really good bereavement gift for a coworker because depending on what they are going through, they can be able to relate to the book and follow in the footsteps of the author to recovery. It is available on Amazon for Rs.752.

There are many other books still good for a bereavement gift for a coworker such as; About What Was Lost: Twenty Writers on Miscarriage, Healing, and Hope by Jessica Berger Gross. You can get these books from Amazon for Rs.810 and Rs.952 respectively.

Customised Photo Album

Having lost someone special is a very tough time for almost everyone. Therefore, an act that would present and preserve the good memories is a really good gesture. This is in relation to the fact that people do not seek to forget the gone, but rather to remember them in their happy and joyous days. A simple customized photo album as a bereavement gift to a coworker may mean a lot to them and ease their pressure.

If you are close friends with your coworker you go to the extent of including some of the good pictures you had of the departed person. You have to remember that simplicity is key, therefore sophisticated gifts are not received that well. You can get a really good customized album from Etsy online store for a cost ranging from USD 20 to USD 110.

Photo Frame

Many things in life may fade away, including ourselves, however, memories still go on. Getting a photo frame as a bereavement gift has a huge effect on someone going through a grieving period. This is because it would hold a picture of the departed and hold memories in general. However, it might hold only one memory, as compared to a photo album, it is still a good gesture that will be received well by the recipient.

There are many platforms from where you can buy a photo frame, however, there is also the option of buying a plain photo frame, them customizing it according to what you want. A little customization goes along way, because even the recipient notices the effort made. You can get a plain photo frame from any shop at an affordable price, them include your specifications. And you can also buy a customized one from Etsy online store for about USD 40 to USD 80 (INR 2,800 - 5,800).

Send Them on a Vacation

A coworker going through grieve over the passing of a relative usually has their concentration interrupted by the intense thoughts. If you are in a position to issue a vacation or time off work, then this is the best time to issue your bereavement gift. This time off could help them get their mind back and calm down without any pressure.

This time offers for self-rejuvenation of the coworker and also prevents any failure at the workplace. The vacation can be accompanied by a simple treat for the coworker to ensure that they enjoy the time off. These accompaniments may be money contributed by the other workers to facilitate some of the activities that follow after the incident.

Personalised Jewellery

The need to feel closer to the departed is usually such a common feeling once one has gone through the grieving period, the reason being unknown. Gifting your coworker, a bereavement gift that makes them feel close to the person they lost, then you make them feel better. A piece of personalised jewellery is a very good idea of what would make your coworker feel less pain and grieve. Especially in those communities that believe in the cremation of one’s body after death, the jewelry could hold some of the collected ash after cremation and store it there. Therefore, depending on one’s origin, a personalized jewelry could mean a lot in moving on past the incidence.

You can buy these from different stores globally including Etsy online store. They avail a variety of sympathy jewelry that you can gift your coworker. A good example is a necklace with a specific message engraved on it, or even a pendant with the picture of the departed one. The jewelry can also be a bracelet with meaningful words engraved on the side to help them feel closer to those they’ve lost. The prices of such sympathy jewellery ranges from USD 20 to USD 50 (INR 1,500 to 3,500) depending on what size and quality suits the occasion.

The Don'ts When Choosing a Bereavement Gift for a Co-Worker

Going wrong with a bereavement gift can be remembered for the longest time despite the efforts of the recipient to forget the incident. Therefore, you ought to be careful when it comes to giving bereavement gifts to a coworker. Here are some of the don’ts when it comes to choosing a bereavement gift for a coworker.

The following are the don’ts:

  • Don’t make the gift about yourself
  • Don’t attracting too much attention with the gift
  • Don’t include the receipt with the gift
  • Don’t be ignorant of your recipient’s beliefs
  • Don’t spend more than you can afford
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From our editorial team

Be sensitive

The effects of a carefully deliberated and well meaning gift can be completely overturned by a single carelessly uttered remark, hence you should be sensitive about what you are saying around a grieving person. Since it is a formal equation and you may not have a personal relationship, hence not know much about who they've lost, there's a potential minefield of things that can make them upset. Even so, make the effort, be supportive but also give them space and time to grieve.