As an employer, it is important that we take care of our staff as much as we can. This is not only their physical wellbeing, but also their mental wellbeing too. This is particularly true during difficult times such as bereavement, when mental health issues are much more likely to develop.
The thing about time off for bereavement is that it can be incredibly hard to know what is the “norm”, after all, every business is different. However, to help you to see why you should be allowing your staff the time off to grieve for someone that they have lost, we have highlighted the reasons that it is a good idea.
It gives them time to deal with their grief
Grief takes time to go through and whilst you are mourning the loss of someone, you are less likely to be able to focus on other aspects of your life. Allowing time off from work will help employees heal; they can focus instead on their grief and coping with the emotions that this brings up for them. If they are expected to go to work, then they are not going to be focusing on their grief; this not only helps them, but also means that they are much more likely to feel up to return to work earlier.
As well as any arrangements
Not only do you need to get through the grieving process, but depending on who it is that passed away, there are a number of arrangements that you need to take care of. This includes funerals, wills and sorting through the possessions of that person too. All of these things take time and take a lot of focus. Which means that your staff member is going to need to concentrate on these things instead. Not only does having time off work mean that they don’t have to worry about trying to think about the things that they need to do, but they are also not going to book time off work in order to go to these appointments.
It shows that you care about your staff
As an employer, you want to show that you care about and value all the people who work with you. One of the best ways that you can keep them motivated and happy is to give them time and space to be able to navigate some of the trickier periods of their life. Grief is just one of those times. Whilst them being away from work may cause you somewhat of a headache, giving them the space to take care of their own mental wellbeing is invaluable.
It is important that they don’t feel under any pressure to come back to work and that you give them space. That said, there is no harm sending them your thoughts, such as with a bouquet of flowers, or maybe even something more personal such as a voucher for Ashes Memorial Jewellery, which they can then use.
If they do come to work, then chances are that they will not be as productive as normal
When someone has lost a family member or friend, it is likely that this situation will take over much of their thoughts. Therefore, when it comes to thinking about work and what needs to happen there, then it is a good chance that they won’t be giving it their all. This is one of the reasons why it is worthwhile ensuring that your staff have time off for grief. If they do come to work, then they won’t be as productive as they usually are, which not only could affect the way they feel about themselves, but also cause issues for you at work.
Unfortunately, there is no time frame on grief and therefore it is hard to know when a staff member should be able to return to work. In the most part, the person should know when they feel ready to come back to work and start with their everyday tasks again, so, if you can, it is advisable that you should let them take the lead.
You may find that some people deal with their grief much quicker than others, which is good news for you as an employer. However, there are also those that are going to take their time. Compassionate leave isn’t usually paid for after a certain amount of time, which is something that should be explained as gently as possible to your staff.
