Guidelines for notifying all staff of the death of a fellow Employee.
1. Manager to notify Organisational Development (OD) and Payroll
Employee’s Manager to notify Organisational Development (OD) and Payroll as soon as practicable after advice received.
OD will discuss the need for immediate Counselling or support with the Manager and then arrange appropriate support through Council’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
Information sheets on managing grief / loss are also available through Council’s EAP provider website.
In particular OD can:
- Organise the EAP provider to urgently dispatch a grief Counsellor to attend the workplace at the earliest opportunity [Critical Incident – Urgent Response service].
- This provides affected staff members access to, discrete, in person, support throughout the day(s) as required to deal with the initial impact of this news upon them.
- Experience has taught us that this is particularly important for immediate team members who have only reached out when this resource is literally just a step away.
- Support if / where needed can then be sought / organised through the Counsellor on the day and / or later through the EAP Support Centre [1800 687 327].
2. Manager to prepare advice for the CEO
Manager to prepare advice for the CEO, appropriate Director, and Media & Communications.
Include a few dot points about the person’s employment at Greater Dandenong, some career highlights and perhaps information about the person’s relationships with other staff - including contributions to other Council activities, e.g., FLARE, Social Club, etc.
This should be done where practicable on the same day as the notification of the employee’s death is received. As a guide the length of the article should be kept to approximately 150 - 200 words.
3. Manager to advise family contact of payment information
Manager to advise family contact that all future payments to the staff member's bank account will cease. Please ask the family member to contact payroll to provide legal paperwork confirming details of the estate and where payment is to be made. Any outstanding salary or leave entitlements will be payable to the estate once the paperwork is received by payroll.
4. Media and Communications
Media and Communications to publish a Source Special Edition under the CEO’s signature, (ideally on the day advice of the death is received but next working day at the latest).
Media and Communications will also arrange for a bereavement notice to be placed in the Herald Sun.
5. Funeral arrangements
Once Funeral arrangements are known, the Manager is to advise Media and Communications so that this can be published on The Source.
6. Payroll administration
Once advice is received regarding the death of an employee Payroll will record this in the CHRIS HR System, and at the appropriate time will remove their details from The Source.
In the meantime, if there are any questions, please contact Payroll for assistance.
7. Ongoing monitoring
The Manager of the affected unit is to continue to monitor staff wellbeing in the weeks following the death of their colleague and arrange opportunities for ongoing counselling / support as required.
Future monitoring should also include checking on the wellbeing of staff at anniversaries of their colleague's passing as well as at annual Council Staff Memorial Days and arranging opportunities for them to access counselling / support as required.
Relevant Contacts
Organisational Development: Team Leader on 8571 5228 and team on zzOrgDevAdmin@cgd.vic.gov.au
Payroll: Payroll: team members on 8571 5172, 8571 5372 or 8571 1726 and on Payroll.Inbox@cgd.vic.gov.au
Media & Communications: Senior Media & Communications Coordinator on 8571 5104 and team on news@cgd.vic.gov.au
Converge International EAP Support: 1800 687 327
Please note:
Care and sensitivity must be exercised by any staff member working through the steps outlined in this process. At all times the privacy and sensitivity of the family and fellow work colleagues should be of the highest consideration.
This process does not apply if the death is work related. In the event of a work-related death, Anthony Jurkov, Occupational Health and Safety Consultant is to be notified immediately on Ext 5276. After this process has occurred the same procedure as outlined above can be used to notify all staff.
