Child loss is pervasive and has important consequences for individuals and organizations. Consequently, it is crucial to understand how organizational factors affect employees’ coping with child loss, which may be loss-oriented or restoration-oriented. Adopting an identity lens and based on a systematic review (k = 51 studies), we identified dual-role and social tensions and complementarities through which work affects that coping process. These tensions add requirements that hamper employees’ coping. Dual-role tensions add boundary-management, decision-making, and emotion-regulation requirements. Social tensions add impression-management and norm-conformity requirements. Conversely, complementarities provide resources that help in the coping process. Dual-role complementarities provide distraction and resources. Social complementarities provide belongingness and social support. Based on our review, we develop recommendations for organizations and future research.
