Losing a close family member, friend, or pet is one of the hardest challenges a person will endure in their life. They need time away from work to grieve, tend to important family matters (e.g., estate and funeral planning), and support other loved ones who are also grieving.
Ensuring your bereavement leave policy gives employees the support and time they need is up to you. Traditional policies often fail to address the complexities of losing a close family member. Now is the ideal time to review your bereavement leave policy and ensure it will make grieving team members feel supported and valued.
What Is the “Norm” and Why Doesn’t It Work?
Approximately 90% of employers offer some form of bereavement leave. However, about 60% of those employers only give their employees up to three days of paid leave. That is inconsistent with employee expectations and expert recommendations. Experts recommend that employees take 20 days off work after losing a close family member.
About 20% of employers offer more than five days of bereavement leave. While that’s a step in the right direction, it doesn’t completely address all of the shortcomings of the traditional bereavement leave model.
Key Elements of a Progressive Bereavement Leave Policy
A progressive bereavement leave policy includes the following elements:
Flexibility
One of the biggest shortcomings of traditional bereavement policies is rigidity.
Employees typically get three to five days of continuous leave after their family member’s passing. However, important events such as memorials and funerals typically happen several weeks afterward.
If an employee uses all of their allotted bereavement days during that initial grieving period, they will have to use sick or vacation hours to attend their loved one’s funeral. If you cannot allow someone to be out of work continuously until the funeral, offer them leave time immediately after the loss and also for the funeral.
Inclusive Definitions of Family
A modern bereavement policy needs to include non-traditional family structures, like unmarried partners/spouses and the immediate relatives of said spouse. For example, a traditional policy typically allows an employee to take bereavement leave if their mother-in-law passes away. Unmarried employees should be afforded that same benefit when facing the loss of their partner’s close relatives.
Paid Time Off
Unfortunately, some companies simply can’t offer employees 20 days off. However, you should strive to get as close to that 20-day threshold as possible. Forcing employees back to work too soon or requiring them to burn their separate PTO hours can cause resentment toward the company.
Sensitivity to Cultural Differences
A progressive policy respects the cultural and religious practices surrounding grief. Make sure that your policies are inclusive and accommodating to each employee’s cultural practices and mourning rituals.
Pet Policies
In addition to considerations toward bereavement for family members, some companies offer time off for grieving the death of a pet. Even providing a few days for employees who have lost a furry friend can provide the space that they need to mourn.
Legal Considerations
Review state and local laws when updating your bereavement leave policies. Some jurisdictions have bereavement leave mandates. Offering leave benefits in accordance with these regulations will help you avoid penalties.
The Benefits of Progressive Bereavement Leave Policies
Your employees will remember how the company treated them as they went through the loss of a loved one. By making your bereavement leave policies flexible and employee-centric, you can unlock benefits such as:
- Improved Employee Morale: Employees feel valued when you acknowledge and accommodate their grief
- Increased Retention: Prioritizing employee well-being will promote lower turnover rates
- Enhanced Employer Reputation: Progressive policies position your company as a preferred employer, and that can attract top talent
When you take care of your employees, they will be more loyal and engaged.
How to Update Your Policies
If you think your bereavement leave policy is due for an update in 2025, here are some tips to guide you.
Explore Industry Standards
Analyze policies from industry leaders and competitors to identify best practices. Use this information as a benchmark for creating your policies.
Engage Employees in Policy Development
Talk to your team members about your current bereavement leave policy and how it could better accommodate them during times of grieving. You want a practical policy that addresses your staff’s needs and meets their expectations.
Train Managers on Applying the Policy
Equip supervisory staff with training to handle bereavement leave requests. Vet leave requests while also respecting each employee’s privacy. This delicate balancing act requires empathy and emotional intelligence.
Make Leave Accessible
Ensure employees have easy access to bereavement leave policies and any relevant leave request forms. If your business uses an intranet, add these forms to that platform.
Have a Plan for Suspected Abuse of Progressive Bereavement Policies
Even the most well-planned policies can sometimes be subject to abuse. If a manager believes that an employee is taking advantage of the policy in a way that it was not designed to be used, create a process by which the manager can report the issue to HR.
In some cases, the issue can be resolved with a meaningful conversation between the HR department and the individual employee about the limitations and intentions behind the policy. By dealing with any problem one-on-one as it arises with a single employee, the vast majority of the staff can still benefit from the policy.
Leverage Tech for Leave Management
Use tools to streamline leave request processing and tracking. Ensure the tool you invest in has automated capabilities to save your HR staff time while expediting the bereavement leave approval process.
Tools and Resources to Streamline Leave Management
In 2025, technology plays a crucial role in leave management. HR platforms can help streamline the process by:
- Automating leave tracking and compliance
- Offering self-service portals
- Providing analytics to measure policy effectiveness
HR solutions like VirgilHR can also simplify compliance and make it easier than ever to provide your employees with progressive benefits.
Simplify HR Compliance With VirgilHR
When you change your leave policies, compliance and benefits management must be top priorities. Managing an additional leave benefit can be burdensome and tedious for your HR team. Fortunately, automated solutions like VirgilHR can help.VirgilHR offers your HR team real-time, automated labor law and employment benefit guidance. Make smart decisions with VirgilHR as you modernize your bereavement leave policies in 2025. Schedule a demo today.
