Hospice UK response to Government bereavement leave announcement

The Government has published its response to a consultation on bereavement leave, including pregnancy loss.

The new entitlement will provide employees with up to two weeks of unpaid leave following the death of a loved one or pregnancy loss before 24 weeks, covering a wider range of relationships including partners, parents, adult children and siblings.

Read the Government response to the consultation.

Lucy Carpenter, Hospice UK Compassionate Employers Lead, said: “Losing someone you love is one of the hardest things we will ever experience; painful and profoundly life changing.  It is right that the Government has extended new legal rights to unpaid time off work following bereavement, recognising wider relationships and families deserve kindness and compassion as much as any other.

"Compassionate and prompt support from employers in those first days and weeks gives people precious space to grieve with their friends and family, make practical arrangements and simply begin to navigate a complex range of feelings from shock to deep sadness and disbelief.  

"We know that when employers support their workforce well, the impact and benefits of that support, both for the individual and organisation itself, is felt for many years to come.

"At Hospice UK we are proud to provide the Compassionate Employers Programme - The UK’s only workplace wellbeing programme exclusively focused on supporting employees through serious illness, caring and bereavement. Since 2019, the programme has been supporting organisations across the UK through managers training, practical resources and policy guidance – ensuring employers are effectively equipped to support employees through the most vulnerable moments in life."