

The Impact of Grief and Bereavement at Work
In the last five years, we know that roughly 57% of employees will have experienced bereavement in the workplace, and at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, around 26% of all workers were juggling work and caring responsibilities.
Yet, only 17% of managers would feel very confident supporting someone who reports to them if they had experienced a bereavement; and 77% of 18-34 year olds would consider leaving their job if they didn’t get proper support when bereaved at work.
Hospice UK has developed a workplace bereavement support training programme to help support their staff carers, support staff after death, and support a grieving colleague.

Workplace Bereavement and Grief Support
Find out how to support a bereaved employee with Compassionate Employers, a workplace bereavement support programme from Hospice UK. It uses training, advice and resources to help line managers, HR and employees feel confident and capable of supporting their staff if they experience grief or bereavement at work. The programme also helps support staff who become carers.
Through a comprehensive annual assessment and recommendation process, we ensure continuous progress towards becoming a gold standard Compassionate Employer. This makes sure that everyone in the workplace gets the bereavement support they need as they go through the challenges of grief, bereavement, caring responsibilities or a life-changing diagnosis.

Employees who are carers or recently diagnosed
As experts in end of life care, Hospice UK understands the journey from a diagnosis to bereavement. The Compassionate Employers programme includes support not just for bereaved employees, but for those with caring responsibilities and any employee affected by a life-changing diagnosis such as a life-limiting or terminal illness.
Compassionate Employers provides employees and their colleagues with the support they need at any stage of their journey.
Compassionate Employers: at work
"People will leave jobs if they're not supported through difficult times."
"Having colleagues who know how to support their team members through grief, through bereavement...it aids in their retention."
Find out how Hospice UK's employer bereavement support scheme, Compassionate Employers, is making a real difference to people in the workplace.
"Supporting our employees’ overall wellbeing is fundamental to our diversity, equity and inclusion strategy.
We are pleased to participate in Hospice UK’s Compassionate Employers programme which aims to help employers in improving support for staff during challenging times."
Sarah Boddey, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Northern Trust
What we offer: Bereavement Support & Training
We will build on and strengthen your existing employee support offer and help you join up policies, peer support and communications. Our holistic, tailored workplace bereavement support programme fosters a proactive, positive environment where supporting a colleague is no longer awkward or uncomfortable.
Instead, they can become a normal and even rewarding part of being at work, where difficult or challenging conversations are handled with warmth and understanding.
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You will receive an organisation self-assessment tool, feedback meeting and tailored recommendations to highlight your strengths, priorities and areas of opportunity for the year.
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During the assessment process Compassionate Employers will be benchmarked against a best practice criteria for practical support, peer support and engagement. This results in a Bronze, Silver or Gold Award which an organisation can promote both internally and externally.
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Year-round access to our online members’ hub, where all your employees can find bereavement and grief information and support resources. With digital copies of all our resources, advice and topical content you can help your employees navigate difficult topics with compassion.
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Training workshops tailored for your employees (e.g. line managers, Mental Health First Aiders), in the formats you need. Our team of skilled facilitators can offer the convenience of Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams training as well as face-to-face sessions.
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You will have access to a dedicated account manager on hand to support your staff bereavement and grief training programme throughout the year.
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Opportunity to learn from and network with other Compassionate Employers.
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Joining our programme costs between £2,000-£5,000 +VAT p.a., depending on your organisation’s size and type. As a member you can access all the opportunities and benefits listed above.
If you’d like to find out more about how it works, book a free call with us to see how we can help. Or you can get in touch via our online form.

Is your company already signed up?
If you work for an organisation that has signed up to the Compassionate Employers initiative, you can gain access to our hub.

How to Start Supporting Your Bereaved Employees
If you're interested in finding out more about how to start supporting your bereaved or grieving staff, or supporting staff who become carers, by becoming a Compassionate Employer, please fill out your details below. We'll be in touch with more information, including our free Compassionate Employers brochure.
Get in touch