A fifth (21%) of employees have said they need more time off work to help them grieve following a bereavement, according to research from MetLife.
This is an increase from the 15% who stated the same in 2023, according to the research.
The study, which looks at the experiences among UK working adults who have experienced a bereavement in the past two years and the support from their employer, also found that 55% said it took up to eight weeks to feel back to normal at work. For 13%, it took more than eight weeks to get back to their usual self at work.
However, the average UK compassionate leave ranges from three to five working days.
Further support for employees could include access to counselling, as cited by 17% of respondents. A further 15% said that practical support, such as help to contact accountants or close bank accounts of the deceased would be helpful. And 12% said they would appreciate their employer helping with funeral planning.
Charlotte O’Brien, head of employee benefits at MetLife UK, said: “We know that compassionate leave policies differ across the UK, with the average time given being between three and five days. Yet our research shows over half of the bereaved say it takes between one and eight weeks to feel like themselves at work. That’s 50% of workers back in the workplace physically but not mentally; there is a clear disparity between what is given and what is needed. While there is nothing we can do about the length of compassionate leave in the UK, we can help change how supported workers are when they are naturally not themselves.”
