Workplace Grief Literacy

Delphi-Study Building Consensus on Workplace Grief Literacy and Bereavement TrainingMethodology, Data Collection, and Ethical ConsiderationsThis research used a three-round Delphi methodology to develop expert consensus on the aims, content priorities, theoretical frameworks, and implementation principles for workplace grief literacy and bereavement training. The Delphi approach was chosen due to its suitability for areas where empirical evidence is still developing and expert judgement is required to inform practice.An international, multidisciplinary expert panel (n = 21) was recruited using purposive sampling. Panel members included professionals from grief counselling, psychology, workplace wellbeing, employee assistance, human resources, organisational leadership, community services, and individuals with lived experience of workplace grief. Participation was voluntary.Round 1 consisted of open-ended questions exploring challenges associated with grief in the workplace, limitations of existing organisational responses, and priorities for effective training. Responses were analysed using thematic analysis to identify key concepts and areas of convergence. These themes informed the development of structured statements for Round 2.In Round 2, participants rated statements using a Likert scale. A consensus threshold of ≥75% agreement (“agree” or “strongly agree”) was defined a priori, consistent with established Delphi methodology standards. Statements not reaching consensus were revised based on participant feedback and re-rated in Round 3. Items that did not reach consensus after revision were reported transparently rather than forced.The study focused explicitly on Level 1, non-clinical workplace support and did not evaluate clinical effectiveness or therapeutic outcomes. Ethical principles were embedded throughout the research process. Informed consent was obtained from all participants, responses were anonymised across all rounds, and particular care was taken to support psychological safety due to the sensitive nature of grief-related content. The study adhered to ethical standards for non-interventional social research and made no diagnostic or clinical claims.