PM Grief

Handle work while grieving — what to tell your manager and team, how much leave you can take, and how to function (or not) when you're back but not okay. Use when asked how do I tell my boss someone died, going back to work after a death, bereavement leave, or I can't focus at work while grieving. Produces a short message to tell your manager and team (with the boundary of how much to share), what to know about bereavement leave and options, a realistic re-entry plan for the first weeks back, scripts for when grief hits at work or people say the wrong thing, and how to ask for what you need — so work doesn't compound the loss. Not legal/HR advice; points to your policy, HR, and EAP.

Get through the first year after losing someone — the birthdays, holidays, and ordinary triggers that ambush you — with a gentle plan for the hard days instead of being blindsided. Use when asked how do I get through the holidays after a death, the first birthday without them, grief is hitting me in waves, or coping with the first year of loss. Produces a map of the anticipated hard days, keep/change/skip options for each, grounding for the ambush waves, ways to include their memory, and gentle markers for when grief needs more support. Not therapy; points to grief counseling and support groups.

Know what to actually say and do for someone who's grieving — the real help instead of the empty 'let me know if you need anything.' Use when asked what do I say to someone whose parent died, how do I support a grieving friend, what to write in a condolence, or how to help without making it worse. Produces words that land (and the phrases to avoid), specific concrete help to offer instead of vague availability, a condolence message in your voice, guidance on showing up over the long haul (not just week one), and how to support without centering yourself — so your care actually reaches them. Points to grief resources when the person needs more than a friend can give.

Write a eulogy or obituary for someone you loved when you're grieving and the words won't come — a true, warm piece that sounds like them and like you. Use when asked help me write a eulogy for my father, write an obituary, I have to speak at the funeral, or I don't know what to say about them. Produces a 3-5 minute eulogy or an obituary drafted from your memories rather than cliches, the right structure and length for the setting, and a delivery copy formatted for shaking hands. Gentle process, no interrogation, nothing invented.

Work through who and what has to be notified after someone dies — the people, agencies, banks, and accounts — in a sane order, so nothing critical is missed while grieving. Use when asked who do I need to notify when someone dies, what to do after a death checklist, or how do I handle my parent's accounts after they died. Produces an ordered notification checklist (immediate people, then government/SSA, then financial, then subscriptions/digital), what each notification needs (death certificates, account numbers), how many death certificates to order, what to stop vs. transfer vs. close, and the scams that target the newly bereaved — so the administrative avalanche becomes a calm sequence. Not legal or financial advice; points to probate/estate resources.