23 October 2007
The Irish Hospice Foundation has produced advice for managers on developing a bereavement policy which provides a sensitive and sensible set of guidelines to enhance best human resource practice when a colleague dies or an employee suffers a loss through death.
A survey of Irish organisations, released at the launch of the new bereavement policy resource, has revealed that most organisations do not have clear guidelines on managing bereavement in the workplace despite believing that there could be health and safety implications for employees who were bereaved.
The survey of 34 organisations, which was commissioned by the Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF) last year, also found that a significant number of firms found an increase in sick leave after a bereavement and nine out of 10 companies believed a colleague’s work performance was affected by bereavement. The CIPD Ireland office contributed to the policy formulation.
Organisations and companies are urged to take a proactive approach by learning about the grieving process and developing a bereavement policy. This makes good business sense as well as being supportive for employees.
In a supportive environment, the need to take sick leave around bereavement could be reduced. It is estimated that for each day that bereaved employees can work and not take sick leave there can be savings of €14.44 million per year for the country.
Under the review of current bereavement policies and practices, all of the 34 organisations had experienced employee bereavement in the last 12 months with half of the organisations experiencing the death of an employee at some point in its history. The survey involved a sample of 34 organisations ranging in size from 100 to over 5,000 employees, in the public and private sector.
The key findings were:
- 88% did not have what could be described as written bereavement policies.
- Only 15% had policies for supporting employees caring for a seriously ill relative.
- 91% had some kind of compassionate leave.
- The most common compassionate leave was either five or three days paid leave.
- 50% of organisations allowed their manager to use discretion in relation to the number of days leave provided.
- 94% believed that an employee’s work performance is, or could be, affected by bereavement.
Michael McDonnell, Director of CIPD Ireland, commented: ‘This guide on bereavement will be very useful to both employers and employees. Death of a work colleague or one of their close relations calls for both sensitivity and a clear focus. There is no ‘off-the-shelf’ approach as this guide makes clear. Bereavement is not an aspect of our lives that we often prepare for, yet on reflection, many will confirm that situations could have been managed more effectively. The Irish Hospice Foundation’s initiative will be welcomed by the 6,000 members of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development in Ireland.’
Breffni McGuinness, author of the report and Training Officer with the IHF, stated: ‘Death can be seen as a taboo subject which is best avoided or dealt with privately. But you don’t have to be an expert on grief to be able to make a positive difference. Bereaved employees are looking for understanding, flexibility and discretion. Many line managers are sensitive and supportive to bereaved employees but putting a policy in place ensures consistency.’