Bereaved people receive inadequate support in the workplace

A recent report from the National Council for Palliative Care has revealed that 32% of people who were bereaved in the last five years were not treated with compassion by their employer.

The research also found that more than half (56%) of people said they would consider looking for a new place of work if their employer did not provide proper support in a bereavement situation.

According to the research many people were in favour of the idea of bereavement support in the workplace, with 87% of those surveyed agreeing all employers should have a compassionate employment policy, including paid bereavement leave, flexible working and a range of other support.

In addition, 81% backed the idea of a legal right to receive paid bereavement leave: there is currently no right to statutory paid bereavement leave although employees have the right to “reasonable” unpaid time off to deal with practicalities such as arranging a funeral.

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