Accountancy firm HaysMac prioritises grief support for its workforce to ensure they feel supported throughout their career.
It operates in London and Cape Town, and has 650 employees across both locations.
The firm offers a variety of grief and loss support for its employees within its wellbeing offering, which includes mental health first aiders, cancer support ambassadors, and will have internal grief counsellors, who receive training soon. It also has guidance, training and toolkits for line managers, which it frequently refreshes, as well as flexible or phased return to work, adjusted workloads and frequent wellbeing checks to ease reintegration after bereavement leave.
It has a wellbeing room, which is a quiet and private space for employees to take time out when needed, alongside a range of wellbeing benefits such as an employee assistance programme (EAP). Those at assistant manager level and above have further tailored support through private medical insurance.
The firm also partners with the National Bereavement Service to offer employees practical and emotional guidance during times of loss, which includes access to professional advice on funeral arrangements, probate, managing finances and emotional support, explains Chanel Cisse, people and culture advisor at HaysMac.
“We also have our people team [which is] able to provide one-to-one support and employees can access a range of wellbeing tools through our wellbeing hub, which includes information about grief and loss, and has links to our EAP, where they can seek the most valuable and appropriate support for them,” she says.
HaysMac regularly communicates its resources through firm briefings, weekly internal newsletters and team updates. It has hosted several lunch-and-learn sessions since February 2024, with one in partnership with the National Bereavement Service. This covered a range of resources for those navigating grief in the workplace and reminded people what to be mindful of, especially from a manager perspective.
It partnered on another session with Cancer Support UK, focusing on navigating conversations surrounding cancer, bereavements relating to cancer and anticipatory grief.
Cisse says: “Both of these sessions have been invaluable in helping employees feel more confident to support one another, as well as providing managers with practical tools and language to use when employees return from leave or are struggling with grief.”
HaysMac offers a paid bereavement leave policy for all employees and enhances statutory parental bereavement leave to full pay. It always uses discretion regarding this, because the situation will depend on the individual and their differing needs for leave and support. This is because it recognises that grief is deeply personal and it is not possible to define recovery within a fixed number of days.
Introducing dedicated grief support was an extension of the firm’s wellbeing strategy, and it aims to have a compassionate and flexible approach to ensure every employee feels supported for as long as they need.
Cisse explains that HaysMac is trying to create a culture of honest and open discussion, and wants staff to feel they can say they are struggling with grief.
“We want to support staff going through this because it’s fundamental to maintaining our workplace culture. When employees feel seen, supported and given the space to heal, it builds trust and a genuine sense of belonging. Ultimately, compassionate leadership and meaningful wellbeing initiatives not only strengthen our culture, but also contribute to the long-term success of our people and business,” she adds.
