Many types of businesses have policies regarding sudden death in the workplace as an integral part of their human resources policies.

1. U.S. government agencies have employment policies concerning death
2. U.S. military services have employment policies concerning death
3. Most businesses in the private sector have employment policies concerning death

Causes for sudden death in the workplace may include:

1. Sudden death in the workplace due to natural causes
2. Sudden death in the workplace due to job-related accidents
3. Sudden death in the workplace due to acts of violence

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Build a 'death of an employee policy' into your employee manual

Find employee manual software that includes a 'death of an employee policy.'

I recommend: Standard Legal sells online and offline software for employee manuals, employee handbooks and human resources legal forms, all written by an experienced licensed attorney. All of these can include your company's death and employment policy. TemplateZone sells its Office Policy Manual software package aimed at small businesses, including a selection of Microsoft Word-compatible human resources forms. CheckPoint HR is a service that allows you to custom build an employee handbook for your business. You can also access their online HR resource library and their "Ask the Expert" feature allows you to question an attorney online about death policy in a business.

Find out about employment policies concerning death and workplace violence

Government agencies can provide the right advice for your company's death and employment policy.

I recommend: To address the problem of violence in the workplace, the U.S. Department of Justice has posted a study on the nature and extent of workplace violence. The UK Ministry of Justice has an even more extensive "Guide to the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007" (PDF).

Explore how businesses can deal with death and bereavement in the workplace

After a sudden death in the workplace, find counselors specializing in death and bereavement in the workplace for your employees.

I recommend: Sponsored by the California Maritime Academy, Dr. Kirsti A. Dyer's "How to Cope with Loss, Grief, Death, & Dying – Professionally and Personally" is a manual addressing employees, managers and supervisors in the workplace. A program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), Caring Connections offers advice aimed at co-workers regarding death in the workplace. GriefStep Programs is a professional mental health service offering on-site individual and group interventions. Compassion at Work is another service providing on-site workplace grief consultation as well as grief workshops.

For U.S. government agencies, employees and administrators, learn about death of an employee policy

For private sector employers, find out how U.S. government agencies handle employment death policy.

I recommend: The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is the overall human resources division for federal government agencies. Their Manager's Handbook includes advice for supervisors on workplace death policies, handling traumatic events like an employee's death and listening to grieving co-workers. U.S. federal government agencies also have individual HR departments. For example, the human resources department for the U.S. Department of the Interior offers step-by-step procedural advice for supervisors dealing with workplace death policies. These procedures may include filing a Request for Personnel Action, addressing the termination of the employee's payroll and the preparation of the appropriate compensation forms if the employee's death was work-related (under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act).

Find out how U.S. military branches deal with their workplace death policies in military service

If you need an employment death policy for your business, see how U.S. military branches do it.

I recommend: In the event of a death while serving in the U.S. military, surviving spouses can file with the OPM for recurring monthly payments under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or the Federal Employees Retirement System. At the U.S. Army Civilian Personnel On-Line (CPOL) website, find out about surviving spouse death benefits and grief counseling resources. The U.S. Department of State offers their own surviving spouse death benefits and grief counseling resources for surviving spouses of U.S. Foreign Service employees.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you own a business, it may be easy to deny the possibility that you'll ever be handling the death of an employee. Prepare for the worst case scenario.