The HR Dictionary

Bereavement Leave

Bereavement leave is time off granted to an employee in the event that a loved one passes away. The intention is to allow employees to grieve, attend funeral services or a memorial, or deal with financial and legal matters that may come up after death. Bereavement leave is a means to assist employees when it eventually occurs, despite the fact that nobody likes to think about losing someone they care about. Before the employees need it, becoming knowledgeable about bereavement leave and making necessary allocations can make a tough time easier. 

In the event that the organization has an employee handbook, the policies for bereavement leave are typically specified in it. Small and medium-sized firms frequently lack a structured leave policy for this. Employers are not required by federal law to offer their staff mourning leave. Additionally, there are no state laws, and the only state that does have a leave statute right now is Oregon. Companies that do provide bereavement or other formalized leave must honor these agreements equally for each employee in accordance with employment law. Even while bereavement leave isn't often required of employers, this could change if they hire union employees. A collective bargaining agreement may include discussions on bereavement.

Businesses that do offer bereavement leave may do so on a paid, unpaid, or a combination of both bases. Bereavement leave is granted on a case-by-case basis because there are no federal regulations governing it. But having a documented policy in place makes sure that there is equity and consistency inside the company. In addition, processing bereavement leave and managing the payroll according to the relevant leave policies of the organization is usually managed through HR software to avoid clutter and human error. An HR software with leave management capabilities makes it easier to create relevant leave policies for bereavement leave based on locations, type of bereavement, etc. and makes it possible to easily implement the leave when the required conditions are met.