Almost all UK employers offer their staff paid time off following bereavement, a study has revealed.
When granting leave, most employers operate within a formal policy or guidelines, the survey by Xpert HR found, with the rest preferring to work on a case-by-case basis. The most common approach is to determine the amount of paid leave available on the basis of the employee’s relationship with the deceased.
Few employers offer more than 10 days’ paid bereavement leave. The most common arrangement is for five days’ paid leave for the closest relationships, which include spouses, civil partners, partners and siblings. Three days are usually offered for grandparents, grandchildren and step-parents and one day for in-laws, aunts, uncles and cousins.
Nearly nine out of ten employers currently offer less than 10 days paid leave to employees who lose a child, with the average being five, but the Government is planning to mandate paid time off for employed parents who lose a child under the age of 18 from 2020.
XpertHR managing editor for pay and HR practice Sheila Attwood said: "Knowing that they have access to paid time off will ease the burden on employees during a difficult time. Many organisations also allow some flexibility to their policy, operating with sympathy and trust to help to prevent any further stress for affected employees."
Many employers said they try to be flexible when granting bereavement leave. They take into account if someone has responsibility for making funeral arrangements, the need to travel to attend it, and the readiness of an individual to return to work. But any additional leave is not necessarily paid.
Few employers ask for proof of bereavement before granting leave either. Instead most take steps to ensure that cases are handled sympathetically, for example by providing guidance to line managers on how to act in a sensitive fashion should the situation affects an employee’s attendance or performance levels. They are also asked to maintain a dialogue with the affected person while they are on leave and to make them aware of any counselling or employee assistance programme services available to them.
Emma Woollacott is a freelance business journalist. Her work has appeared in a wide range of publications, including the Guardian, the Times, Forbes and the BBC.
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Almost all UK employers offer their staff paid time off following bereavement, a study has revealed.
When granting leave, most employers operate within a formal policy or guidelines, the survey by Xpert HR found, with the rest preferring to work on a case-by-case basis. The most common approach is to determine the amount of paid leave available on the basis of the employee’s relationship with the deceased.
Few employers offer more than 10 days’ paid bereavement leave. The most common arrangement is for five days’ paid leave for the closest relationships, which include spouses, civil partners, partners and siblings. Three days are usually offered for grandparents, grandchildren and step-parents and one day for in-laws, aunts, uncles and cousins.
Nearly nine out of ten employers currently offer less than 10 days paid leave to employees who lose a child, with the average being five, but the Government is planning to mandate paid time off for employed parents who lose a child under the age of 18 from 2020.
XpertHR managing editor for pay and HR practice Sheila Attwood said: "Knowing that they have access to paid time off will ease the burden on employees during a difficult time. Many organisations also allow some flexibility to their policy, operating with sympathy and trust to help to prevent any further stress for affected employees."
Many employers said they try to be flexible when granting bereavement leave. They take into account if someone has responsibility for making funeral arrangements, the need to travel to attend it, and the readiness of an individual to return to work. But any additional leave is not necessarily paid.
Few employers ask for proof of bereavement before granting leave either. Instead most take steps to ensure that cases are handled sympathetically, for example by providing guidance to line managers on how to act in a sensitive fashion should the situation affects an employee’s attendance or performance levels. They are also asked to maintain a dialogue with the affected person while they are on leave and to make them aware of any counselling or employee assistance programme services available to them.
Emma Woollacott is a freelance business journalist. Her work has appeared in a wide range of publications, including the Guardian, the Times, Forbes and the BBC.
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