This is part 4 of our Dying Matters week supportive material.

The four sections in this guide are:

1.    Coping with overwhelming emotions at work
2.    Informing your boss or manager about the death or terminal diagnosis of your loved one
3.    Talking with coworkers about death or terminal illness of a loved one
4.    Bereavement leave provisions in the UK (you are here)

Tips for reading these guides:

-    Take a break if you feel overwhelmed and come back to the guide later.
-    The advice shown here are merely suggestions that you can choose to implement as you see fit. There is no right or wrong way to do things, only what feels right to you. 
-    Remember that you are not alone in your grief and you can ask for support every step of the way. 

There are 2 main types of bereavement or compassionate leave available in the UK: Statutory Parental Bereavement Leave and bereavement/compassionate leave offered by private workplaces. 

Statutory Parental Bereavement Leave

Statutory Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay are available to employees who have either:
●    had a child who has died under 18 years old
●    had a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy

Employees can take 2 weeks bereavement leave, starting on or after the date of the death or stillbirth. The 2 weeks can be taken together, 2 weeks separately, or only 1 week of leave can be taken. 

Eligible employees may receive £184.03 a week or 90% of their average weekly earnings (whichever is lower). Company schemes may offer more than the statutory pay amount. 

Please note that different employment types may have different eligibility criteria, the details of which can be found on the Gov.uk website. 

Full details of Statutory Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay can be found here

Carers Right in the UK

Carers for terminally ill family members are protected against discrimination under UK law. If you are an employee that is caring for a terminally ill loved one you may be entitled to compassionate leave, emergency leave and flexible working hours. You also have the right to complain against an employer that treats you unfairly due to your loved one’s terminal illness. 

Read more here: https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/help/support/bereaved-family-friends/work/employee-resources/bereavement-time-off#changes

Need further support? Here are some helpful resources from Hospice UK:

Hospice UK Bereavement Support Resources: https://www.hospiceuk.org/information-and-support/i-need-support-bereavement 

If you’re feeling alone read Sally-Ann’s story about coping with grief at work: https://www.hospiceuk.org/latest-from-hospice-uk/sally-anns-story-back-to-work-in-three-days 

Help your terminally ill loved one plan their funeral wishes

The Farewell Guide offers a free funeral planning tool where you can organise your funeral, choose a funeral director and book a pre-paid funeral plan. 

Taking charge of your own funeral when faced with a terminal diagnosis can be an empowering step and help you and your loved ones prepare for the transition ahead. 

Check out the free funeral planning tool here.

Ready to read more? Here are all the parts of this guide ;
1.    Coping with overwhelming emotions at work 
2.    Informing your boss or manager about the death or terminal diagnosis of your loved one
3.    Talking with coworkers about death or terminal illness of a loved one
4.    Bereavement leave provisions in the UK