Navigating the sudden loss of a parent is devastating enough without the added anxiety of job security. For many people facing bereavement, corporate environments offer very little flexibility. Returning to work often means suppressing grief just to meet strict deadlines. However, one entertainment professional learned firsthand that compassionate leadership involves recognizing an employee’s humanity before worrying about their daily output.
In 2017, Dionn Katrina (@dionnkatrina) was working on a comedy show produced by American comedian and actress Wanda Sykes. Right in the middle of production, Katrina experienced a massive personal tragedy when her father passed away. She immediately left the set to attend the funeral and manage her family affairs.
After being away from work for two weeks, she received an email from the production team inquiring about her return date.
While dealing with the overwhelming stress of the situation, Katrina glanced at the message and panicked. She believed the email stated “they’re looking to replace you” because of her extended absence. Fearing she was losing her job, she immediately responded that she would return the following week.
It was only later, during a flight back to work, that she decided to organize her messages and reread the email closely. She realized her grief-stricken mind had completely misread the text.
The email actually said, “they aren’t looking to replace you.”
The production team was simply checking in and explicitly giving her permission to take as much time as she needed.
“I cried, and then cried more, because [I] wanted to call my now-dead dad,” she wrote in a Threads post detailing the experience.
The impact of compassionate leadership during a crisis is heavily supported by data. According to Gallup research, employees who receive meaningful support from their employers are 69 percent less likely to seek opportunities elsewhere and 71 percent less likely to struggle with burnout. They are also three times more likely to feel connected to their work and five times more likely to trust their leadership.
When Katrina finally returned for her first day back on set, she hugged Sykes and her producing partner, expressing her deep gratitude for the job security. They made it clear that her position was never in jeopardy.
“I could’ve come back on the last day of production, and still had my job,” Katrina recalled them telling her.
She noted that working on a comedy show provided a healthy balance because it allowed her to laugh while she processed her loss, but it was the empathy from her bosses that made the real difference.
“There are good people in this business, and Wanda is one of them for sure,” she concluded.
Follow Dionn Katrina (@dionnkatrina) on Threads for more lifestyle content.
