After experiencing a recent loss myself, I wanted to explore bereavement leave more and how we can support our employees going through a multitude of different types of losses. According to Evermore, a national nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of bereaved children and families, “Americans are experiencing an alarming number of unexpected deaths, with little, if any, access to high-quality bereavement care.” In the United States, there is no federally mandated bereavement leave which has left states to create local laws and many employers not having any documented bereavement leave policies. We believe it’s important to provide a written policy that allows for an employee to take bereavement leave with job protection and without needing to disclose personal information.
To help figure out best practices and how to think about creating and implementing a bereavement leave policy, I sat down with Vanessa Laughlin, Founder and Principal at Banister Advisors.
When considering bereavement leave policies and support for your company, we break down the needs in two different ways:
1. Death of an employee in the workplace.
An employee’s death has a significant impact on the organization. It’s important that you acknowledge and provide support to your employees. As a leader, you might struggle to find the right words but your team needs to hear from you and know they have support. You can get support from an organization like Banister Advisors and/or your EAP in navigating the loss of an employee. Make sure you know what resources are available and how you’d respond in the event of a loss of a team member.
In addition to immediate support, you can incorporate them into your culture and celebrate their memory by incorporating them into company milestones or awards. Earlier in my career, I experienced the loss of a close coworker and mentor. My coworker was an amazing and celebrated mentor, so to recognize her they renamed the company’s annual mentor award to honor her which was a very special way to incorporate her memory into the culture.
2. Employee who experiences the loss of an immediate relationship.
An important distinction here is the definition of immediate relationship versus immediate family member. To have an inclusive bereavement policy, use “All Immediate Relationships” to recognize that important relationships may not be defined in a traditional way as immediate family members and may limit your employees from taking bereavement leave when needed.
Many companies have no documented bereavement leave and need to have clear, written bereavement leave policies in employee handbooks. In the absence of clear, written policies, employees are either not taking the time off or managers could be handling leave differently leading to potential inequities among employees. Evermore has shared best practices based on size with regard to setting up your bereavement leave policies. It’s important to provide support and resources to employees going through a loss similar to what we’ve shared above in addition to days off. Allow whatever time off you provide to be used however the person needs to and when they need to.
Take the time to design thoughtfully and inclusively to ensure there are no biases or inequities. This can include defining your policies to include those that have experienced pregnancy loss. Some states and employers have started to add this to their bereavement leave policies.
The important thing is to make this a part of your culture. By documenting, talking about, and providing support, you are creating the foundation for psychological safety around bereavement in the workplace. There’s a big difference between doing nothing versus having written guidance and talking about these things with your team. If you need help with where to start, please reach out and let us know.
