Bereavement Leave

As an employer in the UK, you understand that a productive and engaged workforce is crucial to the success of your business. However, life often presents challenges and tragedies that can affect your employees' wellbeing and their ability to perform at their best.

When that tragedy involves the death of a loved one, the best way to support your team is often to give them time off work. This type of leave is called bereavement leave.

As mentioned in our compassionate leave article, there’s often some confusion between compassionate and bereavement leave. Although both types are associated with employee distress, there are key differences that you should be aware of.

That’s why we’re going to outline the meaning of bereavement leave and what you need to know as an employer—emphasising the importance of supporting your staff at times of need for trust and better long-term relationships.

What is bereavement leave?

Bereavement leave is specific to the loss of a family member, loved one or someone close to your employee and is aimed at allowing employees time to grieve and handle practical matters.

In the UK there isn’t a statutory right to provide your employees with bereavement leave.

However, there is a legal right for employees to receive parental bereavement leave, if they are eligible, following their child's death under the age of 18. And they have the legal right to take time off to look after a dependant, such as an immediate family member, or a person who relies on them, like an elderly neighbour.

Although you have no legal obligation to provide your employees with bereavement leave, doing so can make all the difference. Not just to their productivity but also to your employee’s long-term loyalty.

Offering this leave allowance is a valuable way to show your employees that you value and care for their wellbeing, leading to better work-life balance.

How long is bereavement leave?

As there’s no law specific to bereavement leave the amount of leave that may be taken, is ultimately up to you, as the business owner. While an allowance of between three and five days is common, every situation is different and must be handled accordingly. It’s at your discretion how much bereavement leave is considered ‘reasonable’.

You will also have to decide whether an employee is ready to return to work or whether more time off should be allowed. This will depend on individual circumstances, with the possibility of extending their leave under a different type of leave.

A flexible approach should be taken so that the employee can transition back to the workplace when they’re ready. This might mean allowing the gradual resumption of normal working activities, with an open-door policy encouraging the employee to talk about any difficulties.

Is bereavement leave paid or unpaid?

Employees don’t have a statutory right to paid cover for bereavement leave, unless eligible for parental bereavement pay. However, such payment might be offered as part of your company bereavement policy. The time off may also be taken as sick leave or holiday entitlement, with payment having to be made.

Just remember to outline whether you offer paid leave or unpaid leave in your bereavement leave policy and communicate this clearly.

How should you deal with a bereavement leave request?

Although you should be notified of time off for bereavement, such notification doesn’t have to be given in writing. It may involve a short call or meeting, with enough information required. Employees may find it difficult to raise the subject and such requests must be handled with compassion and flexibility.

Again, it's up to you to decide how and when your employees should communicate their need for bereavement leave. Just remember to create and implement a bereavement policy.

Your company’s bereavement policy should:

• Include detailed information about eligibility

• State the length of bereavement leave you offer

• If the leave is paid or unpaid

• Prevent any discrimination based on protected characteristics

• Detail the availability of additional employee support services and resources

• Be clearly communicated with all employees

On certain occasions, you may refuse the bereavement leave request. This might be due to a staff shortage or a reliance on work as usual. However, it’s important to acknowledge the worker’s situation and show empathy to soften the impact. Rather than rejecting the request with no explanation, you should also consider other alternatives, such as flexible or remote work.

How can you ensure business continuity during bereavement leave?

While you may see no other option but to allow time off following bereavement, there are bound to be some regular duties that have to be carried out. Careful planning and communication will be key, with such responsibilities potentially being assigned to other staff members.

Ideally, you’ll have clearly documented procedures that can be followed in such instances. Employee scheduling software might be used to track ongoing tasks and ensure that deadlines are met.

These measures may also be taken for the assurance of business continuity:

• Arranging cross-training to ensure that staff members can handle vital tasks

• Recruiting temporary workers or freelancers for additional support as needed

• Reviewing the workload to identify tasks that must be treated as a priority or delayed

• Monitoring the completion of work and holding meetings to clarify expectations.

Different plans should be created to cover for bereavement leave taken by employees of different seniority and job functions. You might see the need to appoint an interim leader or delegate decision-making authority to employees with relevant knowledge. You should also offer support and monitor the performance of those who step in during bereavement leave.

How BrightHR can help with bereavement leave management?

Of course, no one wants to be in the position of having to take bereavement leave. However, you must acknowledge and prepare for unfortunate events.

Implementing clear policies, communicating them effectively, and showing empathy toward your employees during difficult times and with sensitive issues like the death of a loved one can help maintain a positive work environment while supporting your team in their moments of need.

That’s where BrightHR comes in. Our HR software, support and absence management system can support you in managing bereavement leave.

With BrightHR you can:

• Easily record and monitor bereavement leave absences

• Create and implement your bereavement leave policy

• Remotely accept or decline bereavement leave requests at any time

• Get a centralised system for sharing and communicating policies and documents

• Access help for any employment issues 24/7 with a direct line to employment law experts

• Offer your employees additional support with the UK’s leading EAP

Book a free demo today and see how BrightHR can help you manage bereavement leave and more.