[jrmg]

I don't think the author was suggesting that it was the right time to think about this - they were more just reflecting on their emotional response.

When I close the video meeting, I settle. My mind is racing. “Can I try something to bring the person back?” A list of grievances sets in, and I go through a loss cycle for days. It’s a breakup. I let go.

That doesn't read to me like they're thinking that finding something to bring the person back is a plausible outcome.

[haswell]

I’d say these are pretty classic stages of grief. We instinctively go into bargaining mode even when we know we’ve already lost.

[kevinmchugh]

The "stages of grief" is not especially well supported scientifically and probably is a stretch to invoke it here. Negotiation is a natural reaction to an employee resigning because employment is a negotiated agreement.

[haswell]

> The "stages of grief" is not especially well supported scientifically

As a therapy aid, no. But as a general model for describing (or recognizing) the most common experiences post loss, still considered useful.

> because employment is a negotiated agreement

This does not logically follow the rest of the sentence preceding it.

The fact that negotiation takes place at the beginning of one’s employment does not have an automatic connection to the things a manager experiences when that employee resigns.