Recite Me

Dying Matters Awareness Week 2023

From 8 – 14 May 2023, people are being encouraged to talk about death, dying and grief in the workplace as part of Dying Matters Awareness Week.

Dying Matters is a campaign run by the charity, Hospice UK. It works with organisations, decision-makers and the general public to make things better for people who are dying or grieving.

Stigma around grieving, and a lack of understanding about what it means to be ill and what happens when you’re dying, mean that too many of us are struggling to cope when faced with life’s inevitable challenges.

And the workplace is no exception. 57% of employees will have experienced a bereavement in the last five years and every day, more than 600 people quit work to look after older and disabled relatives. Fewer than one in five managers feel very confident supporting someone they manage with a bereavement. 

NCH&C is encouraging its staff to talk to those around them to help make sure that our workplaces can better support people who are ill, who are caring for those around them, or who have lost someone close to them. 

In a recent episode of our podcast, Take a Moment with NCH&C, host Miranda Gretton opened up about her personal grief journey following the death of her brother four years ago. Psychological and Bereavement Lead at NCH&C Tracey Dryhurst joins Miranda to discuss the complexities of grief and the support available. Click here to have a listen.

Hospice UK has created a range of ways for people to get involved and learn more about having conversations about death, dying and grief: 

  • There’s a short quiz aimed at helping you have meaningful and compassionate conversations with people at work, in the community or at home  
  • A webinar on ‘How to talk about death at work’ will take place at 11.30am on Thursday 11 May 2023. Register here. 

For further help and information:

Find out more and get access to other toolkits and videos and links to further information from Hospice UK here.