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Build your own

Company of Compassion

What to Expect

Grief is one of the most universal human experiences. Yet it remains one of the least understood within workplaces.

Every organisation will, at some point, have employees navigating profound loss. This may be the death of a loved one, caring responsibilities for ageing parents, miscarriage, serious illness, divorce, or other deeply personal life transitions.

These experiences do not stay outside the office door.

They travel quietly with people into meetings, deadlines, and daily interactions with colleagues.

The question for organisations is not whether grief will appear in the workplace.

The question is how it will be met.

The Companies of Compassion framework is a structured four stage experience designed to help organisations create a culture where grief can be acknowledged and supported.

The programme unfolds through four phases.

❋ Beginnings

Establishing shared understanding and creating safe foundations for meaningful conversations.

❋ Awareness

Helping teams recognise the different forms grief can take and how these experiences show up in working life.

❋ Kindle

Opening space for empathy, reflection, and honest dialogue.

❋ Evolve

Supporting leaders and teams to embed compassionate practices that strengthen workplace culture long term.

Beginnings * Awareness * Kindle * Evolve

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Beginnings * Awareness * Kindle * Evolve 〰️

Through the BAKE framework, organisations develop:

  • stronger psychological safety

  • greater empathy across teams

  • more confident and clear leadership conversations

  • a culture where people feel supported during life’s most difficult moments

Leadership Training

Managers are often the first people employees turn to during times of loss, and yet, many leaders feel unsure about how to approach these conversations.

Leadership workshops provide practical guidance and supportive frameworks that help managers feel more confident supporting their teams.

Topics include:

  • recognising grief in the workplace

  • having supportive conversations

  • responding with empathy while maintaining professional boundaries

  • building psychologically safe teams

Speaking and Keynotes

I speak at conferences, leadership events, and organisational gatherings.

My talks open thoughtful conversations around grief, compassion, and leadership, helping organisations understand how these themes shape culture and wellbeing.

1:1 support for team members

Whether grief is sudden or expected, individuals are all too often left to their own experience

Private sessions with me, meet them where they are and help them process, stabilize and yet remain true to their own grief experience as they navigate returning fully to the role they need to play in the workplace

Sample workshop

The essentials of grief care in the workplace

Together, we pause to consider our goals, hopes, and direction. This is about aligning with ourselves and with the journey ahead. This is a chance to reconnect with what brought you here, your questions, your hopes, your turning points and consider how they’ve shifted or deepened.

Grief is already present in your workplace, whether it is acknowledged or not.

From bereavement and loss to divorce, illness, redundancy, acquisitions and cumulative life stress, employees are navigating complex emotional realities alongside their roles. Yet most organisations are still unequipped to respond in ways that are human, consistent, and effective.

This workshop offers a clear, practical introduction to grief-informed leadership and workplace culture.

Led by grief expert Claire Anderson, The Essentials of Grief Care in the Workplace equips leaders, HR professionals, and people managers with the understanding, language, and confidence to support employees through loss without overstepping, shutting down, or defaulting to policy alone.

Through a blend of insight, real-world context, and structured guidance, participants will explore:

  • What grief actually looks like at work (and why it is often missed)

  • The impact of unacknowledged grief on performance, engagement, and retention

  • How to respond to grief with clarity, compassion, and appropriate boundaries

  • What to say (and what not to say) in difficult conversations

  • How to create a workplace culture where people feel supported, not sidelined

  • Practical frameworks for building grief-aware policies and everyday practices

This is not about turning managers into therapists. It is about giving organisations the tools to respond well, lead responsibly, and create environments where people can continue to function and contribute, even in the midst of loss.

Participants will leave with a grounded understanding of grief in a workplace context, alongside practical actions they can implement immediately within their teams and organisations.

  • "I can't thank you enough for the tremendous foundation that you have established for"

    Former Client

  • "Thank you for your patience, kindness and excellent training"

    Former Client

  • "Thank you for your expertise and thank you for being you"

    Former Client

  • You've made such an impact

    1:1 Client

Let’s talk

Contact me today

Every organisation will encounter grief.

When leaders are equipped to meet it with compassion and confidence, workplaces become stronger, kinder, and more connected.

If you would like to explore how Companies of Compassion could support your organisation, I would be delighted to speak with you.