Employee dealing with grief

Question

One of my employees recently lost her 7 year old child.   This is so terrible already, but our company policy is only 3 days of bereavement, and we don't have any additional resources we provide other than a hotline.  I have no idea how companies expect employees to come back to work and function after this.  I want to give her the space and flexibility to grieve and not feel the pressure of performing at work, but unfortunately her job requires her to be at her desk. How do I support her without breaking policies?

Paula R. Joseph · Answer

This is a tough situation. Your compassion trying to find resources for her is commendable. My info is about three years old, but at that time within the US there was no Federal Law requiring companies to provide bereavement leave, paid for or not. Most did, but not required. So it's been left up to the states and sometimes cities to define their own guidelines. Last I checked San Francisco and Washington DC had instituted very employee compassionate laws for this. If you don't have access to an employment law expert or HR assistance, I'd suggest spending some time on Google for the specific state involved and try 'employment law' or 'bereavement law'. That should at least give you a starting point. Also check if the Federally mandated FMLA policies (Family Medical Leave Act of up to 12 weeks off, but unpaid) would apply in this case. Note: I'm not an employment law attorney or in HR, so please proceed with the knowledge that you'll likely need to pull in some outside help to be able to support this employee. >>Thank you for caring<<

Employee dealing with grief

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