When an employee, longtime client or business partner dies, condolences are not only a matter of the heart, they are a matter of good manners. They should not consist of a sentence or the signature under a form, but show sympathy and express an appreciation of the deceased. It doesn’t have to be pathetic about it. What to watch out for?
Writing condolences professionally is not easy, but in business it is often indispensable, a matter of decency, but also of professional behavior.
Only positive things belong in a sympathy card. But it is important to note: Business condolences should be neither pathetic nor theatrical sound. It should not be too creative, as this may not convince every recipient or may even irritate them.
When should a letter of condolence be sent?
A letter of condolence or sympathy should be as soon as possible to be sent. It is best to write it immediately after you have received the death notice. In this way you can support the bereaved in their greatest grief. It does not matter whether the death occurred unexpectedly, after a long illness, by suicide or as a result of a traffic accident. It should be written, digitalization or not, if possible handwritten. If you want to write the letter of condolence on a computer, you should at least add a handwritten salutation, greeting and signature. Signature additions such as i. V. etc. are inappropriate.
Business condolence card: who should write it and what should you write??
In the case of a client, the attorney who served the client writes; in the case of business partners or employees, the appropriate management representative or the appropriate division or department management writes.
If it is about an employee, one can point out how pleasant the cooperation had been, what distinguished his personality, what merits he had for the company or the law firm and / or how popular or respected the deceased was among colleagues. For the relatives this is something comforting.
Have colleagues sign the funeral card?
The business condolence card should only be signed by the supervisor. Other colleagues should keep a low profile or, if they were friends with the deceased employee, write a private card of condolence. To a condolence card it fits – unlike congratulatory cards – not if there are ten signatures on it. The executive condoles on behalf of the others with. With a funeral announcement it would look again differently, here also the work council would be present for instance.
Appropriate condolences: example of a condolence text
card on the death of an employee:
Dear Mr .
We were shocked to learn of the unexpected death of your wife. We are deeply saddened by the painful loss of Mrs . and express our sincere condolences to you and your family.
With her natural, helpful and lovable manner, your wife greatly enriched our firm and contributed a great deal to our success with her great commitment. It leaves a big gap professionally and humanly; we will miss him as a person and as a co-worker equally.
We offer you our sincere condolences and wish you all the strength you need during this difficult time.
With warm regards
Firm / Company
Name
Card on the death of a client / business partner:
Dear Sir .
We are shocked to learn of the unexpected death of your husband. We are very saddened and express our sincere sympathy to you and your family.
We have honored Mr . We have come to know him as a very pleasant and trustworthy person in the course of our cooperation and will keep him in good memory as a client / business partner.
We offer you our sincere condolences and wish you all the strength you need at this difficult time.
With warm regards
Law firm / company
Name
Express condolences through a funeral notice in the newspaper
It is also good style if the employer publishes a mourning notice in the newspaper in order to show its appreciation and concern and also to make it publicly visible with this form of appreciation. Of course, this also applies to the death of a partner in our firm.
Errors in condolences that should not be made
Bad, if in a case, in which a letter of condolence would have been important and appropriate, the unpleasant task is shifted back and forth and ultimately "under the table falls. The like is not overlooked and u.U. also tell others. It does not speak for the firm or the company and is humanly unpleasant.
When the condolence card comes too late or shows only the most necessary standardized effort, it is better than nothing, but also not much.
Too much drama and exaggerated declarations, be it because you are prone to exaggeration and theatrics, be it because you yourself have recently suffered a loss, are also not helpful. Even generous promises of support should only be made if they are sincere. On the one hand they could really be taken up or. be claimed (loan etc.), on the other hand they can easily seem unbelievable and disconcerting.
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Background:
Deaths in the everyday life of a law firm require sensitive handling of those affected. As an employer you should show compassion and appreciation, especially when it comes to employees, but also towards business partners or clients. This also applies to the support of survivors with formalities at the end of the employment or business relationship.