← MORTL for Employers

Someone on your team
lost someone.

The manager card. Managers freeze, and the freeze reads as not caring. Here is what to actually say. mortl.com/for-employers

The first conversation

Say this, word for word if you need to

  • "I heard your mom died. I am so sorry." Use the real words: died, dead. Softening them makes the griever manage your discomfort.
  • "Take the time you need. Your work is covered, and I will handle how." Then actually cover it. Do not let their inbox become the second funeral.
  • "You do not have to answer anything right now." Then let silence be fine. Sitting in it beats filling it.
  • "Would you rather the team knows, or that I keep it between us for now?" Their grief, their call, every time.

The reflexes to kill

Never these

  • "Everything happens for a reason." No grieving person has ever been helped by this sentence.
  • "At least she lived a long life." Any sentence starting with "at least" is for your comfort, not theirs.
  • "Let me know if you need anything." They will not. Offer one specific thing instead: "I moved your Thursday deadline."
  • "When do you think you will be back to normal?" There is no back. There is only forward, at their pace.

The first weeks

What good management looks like now

  • "No agenda, just checking on you." A two-minute check-in each week beats one grand gesture. Grief outlasts the casseroles.
  • "Here is what moved off your plate and who has it." Reassign explicitly, in writing. Vague relief is no relief.
  • "The first day back, we can keep it light. You set the pace." The return conversation happens BEFORE the return, so day one has no ambush.
  • "If work is not the problem, we have real support too." Know your EAP number before you need it. If grief is visibly not lifting after months, encourage real help; that is care, not overreach.

Filled dots are what to say. Crossed lines are what to retire. When their person's death also dumps paperwork on them, point them at mortl.com: the checklist and guides exist for exactly that week.

Every manager gets this card before they need it.

MORTL. Straight talk, no euphemisms. mortl.com