Despite Benjamin Franklin’s centuries-old observation that: “the only two certainties in life are death and taxes”, how we talk about death is often marred by uncertainty, clumsiness or, for some people, silence.
This can be a problem in any setting, and the employer/employee relationship is no exception. If you are uncertain of how to broach the topic of death with a bereaved employee, we have some tips coming up. But first, let’s consider the impact that getting it wrong could have on your business.
By exacerbating their grief with a perceived lack of empathy and support, you could:
- Create ill feeling and discord within your team or your personal relationship with them.
- Increase the likelihood of prolonged sickness absence due to poor mental health.
- Risk their leaving if they feel let down by you.
These kinds of scenarios could lead to awkward interactions, an unnecessary drop in productivity or a costly and distracting need to recruit. So what can you do to avoid them?
Managing bereavement in your workforce
It is important to address the bereavement directly, speaking to your employee, offering condolences and asking what support they feel they need. This should clearly show you care and give them the opportunity to outline what they might need from the company.
You cannot take for granted how anyone will react to being bereaved; and, of course, the nature of the bereavement may have a big bearing on their emotional state: how close they were to the deceased, whether it was sudden or expected and other factors, so always keep that in mind.
Also take into account whether they have responsibility for making the funeral arrangements or some other duties that the death instigates.
There are currently no laws mandating bereavement leave, but most employers will offer three to five days under compassionate leave. If you are not sure, check your employment contracts and employee handbook as they will outline any contractual minimums.
As well as any time off you grant, it would be sensible to review their workload. Are they working on any sensitive projects which it would be better for you or them to be given help with? Are their working hours appropriate during the grieving period?
As a longer-term measure, you could explore other support mechanisms, such as a charity you could signpost, or an employee benefit that provides support like a counselling service within an employee assistance programme.
In developing a positive workplace culture, you could schedule annual company fundraising, and employees could have the opportunity to nominate a cause close to their heart, for instance a charity supporting cancer research, those living with dementia or parents experiencing the loss of a child.
Bringing it all together in a compassionate leave policy
With all of the above in mind, best practice would be to bring it all together in a compassionate leave policy. Not only will this ensure a consistency of approach so that everyone is treated within an equal framework; but it will also act as a useful reference point for everyone.
When drafting it, ensure it gives you the flexibility to fairly manage a range of bereavement scenarios, whilst setting expectations for your staff. It is important to state who would be covered and how much leave is allowed.
Close family relatives like parents, children and siblings are an obvious starting point. Some may have very close relationships with aunts, uncles and grandparents. But what about best friends? And with today’s blended families, are step relatives included?
Funerals can take weeks to arrange now, so allowing for time off at different times is important.
Don’t forget, too, that there are other types of leave which may be used additionally: from annual leave to dependant’s leave depending on the circumstances. Neo natal leave is due to come in next year which provides an entirely separate 12 weeks off to care for premature babies.
Help from The HR Dept
If you would like help creating a compassionate leave policy, please do ask us. We will have an HR Dept office local to you who can help. We can also assist with adding a cost-effective employee assistance programme to your employee benefits package if you do not have one yet.
