All types of grief
It is easy to relate grief to a sad or tragic event - death of a loved one, loss of a essential paycheck, cutting a beloved program - but grief can and does occur with events that are thought of as positive.
I went to a baby shower last week and listened to the mom talk about her loss of freedom and independence. She didn’t use those terms but that was what she was talking about. Her baby is beautiful, healthy and wanted but the mom still has a period of transition from no baby in the house to one. She is grieving the loss of that freedom.
Years ago I left one job and went to another - my dream job. I wanted this change and was so excited about it I could hardly stand it until I started. But there was still loss for me and a grieving process as I transitioned.
When organizations make changes, there is loss and grief. Just as some people don’t want to admit the loss and grief so do organizations. Organizations are even worse - rarely have I seen one how will acknowledge that there has been a loss. They spend all their energy taking about the change and forget that there is a transitioning process. I believe organizations would be healthier if they would allow their employees to acknowledge the loss and grief instead of ignoring it. It’s like that old saying about ‘not opening that can of worms.’ Seems to me that can of worms is still there and we might as well deal with it instead of pretending it doesn’t exist.