How long is enough for bereavement leave?

Posted on March 30th, 2017

Bereavement leave is an emotionally-charged subject that often goes unmentioned, however Facebook has bought it to the front of the business agenda once more.

Facebook recently announced that all of its staff who suffer the death of a close family member are automatically allowed twenty days of paid leave to grieve before returning to work.

In the UK, there is no statutory right for a bereaved member of staff to have paid leave in the wake of someone’s passing, but they must provide a reasonable period of unpaid time off for dependants in line with the Employment Rights Act 1996.
This leaves business in the highly-emotive position of trying to balance the wellbeing of their staff and the operational security of their company.
As a funeral director, we have seen every type of reaction to someone’s death and know that no one person is the same. Some people may want to hurry back to work as a way of taking their mind off the situation while others will feel unmotivated and unfocused enough to return.
Businesses need to protect their employees and their business’s operational needs. This tricky balancing position must be taken on a person by person basis to make sure everyone is looked after and the business can cope.
However you feel, we believe it is best to keep talking and speak to your employer who in most cases will be understanding and help in any way they can.