In light of the news of Her Majesty the Queen passing yesterday, HRreview considers how employers can support staff coping with bereavement, shock and loss.
It is estimated that bereavement at work costs the UK economy £23bn a year through reduced tax revenue and increased use of NHS and social care services.
Investing in appropriate bereavement leave and support could lead to a significant long-term saving for the UK economy through reduced absence and increased productivity.
How supported does the UK workforce feel?
More than three quarters (77%) of Brits have suffered a bereavement in their life, according to research by C.P.J. Field.
However, 24 percent of those say they did not receive the right level of support from their employers.
A staggering 22 percent of Brits feel they were not granted enough time off to grieve, and nearly a fifth (27%) wish they had been given pre grief support. This includes time off to help care for a loved one with a terminal illness before the bereavement itself.
As a result, 74 percent of Brits believe there should be an official bereavement policy in place for all workers.
Currently, there is none.
Jeremy Field, Managing Director at C.P.J. Field comments: “Just as no two lives are the same, neither are two people’s experience of grief. Through our experience of supporting families following the death of a loved one and beyond, we’ve identified a need within the UK for an official employer bereavement policy, and our consumer research solidified that.
“We’re calling for UK employers to broaden their offering of compassionate leave and offer paid leave to all workers when it’s needed most”.
9 key recommendations for bereavement support
The CIPD offer nine key recommendations of how employers can offer compassionate bereavement support:
- Bereavement policies and support should be holistic, long term and take into account individual circumstances.
- Employers should work to be knowledgeable about the law and bereavement, including parental bereavement leave and pay and emergency time off for family and dependants.
- Employers should address health and safety obligations in relation to bereavement and avoid discrimination and address the risk of bullying.
- An open culture of support helps people feel more comfortable raising any issues and asking for support. Communicate your approach and embed this culture of support.
- Develop a bereavement policy, covering aspects like reporting a bereavement, any leave and pay and returning to work.
- Educate and support people managers to show empathy and compassion.
- Provide training and support so they understand the organisation’s bereavement policy and support structure.
- Flexibility is key: build flexible responses and be open to ongoing flexible working provisions.
- Provide information on workplace support and signpost employees to external sources of information and support.
Being compassionate and flexible, whilst also offering wellbeing support tailored to grief and bereavement is integral to fully supporting your workforce.
Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.
