Understanding Loss: Investigating Disclosure of Loss At Work

Authors:

Abstract: Loss is an inevitable part of life, affecting individuals both personally and professionally. While the concept of loss is often associated with events like the death of a loved one, it can also manifest in the workplace. For instance, the loss of a job, a promotion, or a valued colleague to attrition can have a profound impact on psychological well-being and corporate prosocial behavior. Yet, a more complete understanding of the psychological experience of loss at work, its effects on workplace outcomes, and ways to mitigate these effects remain unexplored. We examined the extent to which individuals encounter loss at work and explored their willingness to share these experiences in a survey of MBA students (N=677). Results indicated that 64% of participants reported experiencing loss at work. However, 29% never shared their experience of loss at work with a manager, and 12% never shared with a co-worker, despite desiring to do so. This significant difference between participants’ actual and desired sharing behavior suggests that interventions may be needed to reduce the barriers in sharing loss at work to mitigate the negative effects of loss in the workplace.

Track: COMM

Keywords: Disclosure, Organizational Behavior, Loss at Work