7. Having a bereavement policy
It's a good idea for your organisation to have a policy that covers time off and pay for bereavement.
A policy helps make clear:
- how much time off and pay workers are entitled to
- how managers can respond and support workers after a death
If a worker does not follow a policy exactly, there could be a good reason. An employer should be understanding and flexible.
For example, a policy might say that a worker should tell their manager about a bereavement straight away. But a recently bereaved person might not feel emotionally able to do this. They might be off work for a few days before telling their manager about the death.
What a bereavement policy should include
A bereavement policy should cover:
- how soon the death should be reported
- who can report it, for example, a member of the worker's family if they are not able to do it themselves
- who it should be reported to, for example, the person's manager
- what happens if the person who died is not a child or dependant
- how much leave is provided
- how much pay is provided
- whether the leave and pay depends on someone's employment status
- what the leave is called by the employer, for example compassionate leave, bereavement leave or special leave
- what happens if someone needs more time off than stated in the policy
- how someone's return to work is managed, for example whether they can return on reduced hours if they're not ready to return full time
Creating a bereavement policy
You can use and adapt the Acas bereavement policy template.
If there's no policy
If there's no bereavement policy, the employer must follow the law. They should also try to be as fair as they can.
For example, they can look at how bereavement has been managed previously. This can help them decide how it should be managed now or in the future.
When someone has experienced a death, their employer should support them as much as they can.