Organizational Wellness

Bereavement Leave: A Comprehensive Guide for HR Leaders

Last Updated Mar 18, 2025

Time to read: 11 minutes

Work-life wellness is a hot-button topic in today's workplace, and for good reason. The self-care movement regularly reminds everyone that although jobs come and go, personal and family wellbeing comes first.

People expect their employers to share those priorities. Eighty-five percent of workers believe their employer has a responsibility to help them care for their own wellbeing, according to Wellhub's State of Work-Life Wellness 2025 report.

A big part of caring for people's wellbeing is understanding that sometimes, work and life can't coexist. Bereavement is one of those times. When an employee experiences the death of a loved one, they appreciate two things from their employers: empathy and a leave of absence that gives them space to grieve.

Start building that employee-first policy by learning what's been done, what companies are doing, and why those evolutions matter.

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What Is Bereavement Leave?

Bereavement leave is an approved absence after an employee loses a loved one. It's one of the many types of leave you can offer employees. And from an emotional perspective, it may be one of the most important.

More than 75% of workers believe bereavement-related benefits are essential when choosing a job, according to the New York Life Foundation 2024 State of Grief Report. Yet, only 57% believe their employers give grieving people enough time off.

As any psychologist will tell you, grief looks different for everyone. HR departments must design policies that meet those varying needs.

Types of Bereavement Leave

The first step to creating the right bereavement leave policy is knowing what's available. Consider these three common structures as you start to form your approach.

Traditional bereavement leave

The standard bereavement leave is three days for designated family members, according to the NFP Leave Benchmarking Report. Report data shows it's still the most common policy, but some companies are becoming more generous. As of 2023, almost 20% offer five days of leave as a standard policy, and more than 30% offer leave for any close relative.

Extended bereavement leave

A one-size-fits-all bereavement policy doesn't work for everyone, and some companies are starting to plan accordingly. Some adapt by offering standard allowances but allowing employees to apply for leave extensions.

Another option is to offer longer leave for the loss of close family members. For example, Meta provides 20 days for immediate family and 10 for extended family, as one former employee recently confirmed. Adobe also offers 20 days of leave for immediate family, including grandparents, grandchildren, in-laws, and lost pregnancies.

Flexible bereavement leave

Not sure how to structure a policy that works for everyone? Make flexibility your policy and take things one person at a time.

Among NFPs surveyed organizations, 18% vary bereavement leave allowances based on individual needs. This kind of policy can work in many ways. One is allowing people to use other paid time off (PTO) or unpaid leave for bereavement.

Legal Considerations

While it's true that U.S. federal law doesn't mandate bereavement leave, there are five states where employers must offer it:

California: Employers must approve up to five days of bereavement leave following the death of an eligible family member.
Oregon: Employees may take up to two weeks per family member, totaling up to four weeks per leave year.
Illinois: The Family Bereavement Leave Act gives eligible employees up to two weeks of leave for a covered loss-related event, up to six weeks per year.
Maryland: Employees may take up to five sick days for bereavement of an immediate family member or one day for an extended family member. For immediate family, employees may take three bereavement days instead of three of the five sick days.
Washington: State law guarantees up to three days of paid bereavement leave. The employee may take less than three days or request to use other forms of paid or unpaid leave.

The other 45 states don't have protection for standard bereavement leave, but grief isn't necessarily standard. An employee might come to you asking for extended leave because their grief is exacerbating a medical or mental health condition.

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) may apply in these cases. The FMLA guarantees 12 weeks of unpaid leave with benefits for a severe and incapacitating medical condition, such as clinical depression. The ADA requires employers to provide "reasonable accommodations" for disabled mental health concerns.

Employees may come to you already knowing about their options, but many will rely on you to explain their options. The better you understand what's available, the more resources you'll have to meet employees' needs.

Bereavement Leave Policy Best Practices

Introducing a leave policy to the real world always poses challenges. People will have questions and might have needs you didn't anticipate. Be prepared with these five ingredients for a smooth rollout.

Clear Communication

Every employee should know and understand your bereavement policy before they need it. Don't worry if the last time you shared that information was onboarding — that's what internal memos are for!

A quick memo is a great way to remind your team about company policies, including bereavement leave. You want people to have the information before they need it.

Include all the necessary facts: When someone is eligible for leave, how much they can get, and whether they can apply for an extension. Include instructions on applying for leave and encourage employees to save that information so it's easy to find.

Be sure to include a channel for asking questions. The more you can clear up now, the less stressful it will be when the need arises.

Flexibility

Policy is an indispensable starting point. But every HR pro knows exceptions can quickly become the rule.

Trying to anticipate every question can put your team on a mental treadmill. There's no need for that kind of stress! Instead, do what you can to work flexibility into your policy. Encourage employees to contact HR if they have additional needs.

Don't sweat too much about people taking advantage of your flexibility. Making space for exceptions allows you to handle those situations on a case-by-case basis. It's better to risk giving someone too much leave than deny a grieving person time they genuinely need.

Inclusivity

Traditional bereavement leave structure operates around the concept of "immediate" family. That term means different things to different people, now more than ever.

Today, only 37% of 25- to 49-year-olds live in a traditional family with a spouse and children, according to the Pew Research Center. More people are having kids alone or with unmarried partners. More than 10% of adults live with family members who aren't spouses or children.

With the family structure expanding and diversifying, policies need to follow suit. A simple approach is to avoid specifying who counts as "immediate" family. Another option is to include non-traditional examples like cohabiting partners or foster children, or simply trust employees to use this leave for anyone important in their lives.

Support Beyond Leave

Grief doesn't end when someone is ready to come back to work. Show your understanding by creating support resources beyond time off.

Flexible return-to-work: Allow people to work remotely as they transition back from leave.
Mental wellbeing benefit reminders: Provide information about your company's mental wellbeing resources.
Managerial training: Provide sensitivity training for managers with a grieving team member.

Here's a critical point that's easy to forget: Grieving people don't always ask for help. Someone who's recently back from bereavement leave might feel guilty or ashamed to tell you they're still struggling.

Make a point of checking in with bereaved employees and asking if they need any accommodations. Something you haven't considered might make all the difference.

Confidentiality

When MindShare partners conducted its Mental Health at Work Report in 2021, 37% of employees said they were comfortable talking with HR about their mental wellbeing. And 40% percent were comfortable talking about it with managers.

As the conversation opens further, it's important to remember that those topics are still sensitive and personal. Stress to all teams and leaders that employee privacy is a priority. No team member or manager should share information about an employee's mental health without permission.

Creating a Supportive Workplace Culture

A well-managed bereavement leave policy takes some of the load off a grieving employee. It's essential to let the person know that when they're ready to come back, you're there to help them adjust.

Beyond the Policy

When discussing bereavement policy as part of an HR team or with frontline managers, emphasize putting the person before the policy.

Stress the fact that grieving employees have changing needs. Make it easy for HR and managers to access and distribute mental health resources as needed. Encourage regular communication between employees, managers, and HR.

Remember that people going through a loss won't remember what your policy said or how many days it allotted them. They'll remember how you and their managers supported them through a difficult time.

Return to Work

No one processes a loss in five to 20 working days. Employees may be functionally ready to maintain a work schedule in a week or two, but they're still processing the loss mentally and emotionally.

As you develop your policy, consider how you'll welcome employees back to the office. They might need a phased return or reduced workload, especially if they have new or heightened caregiving responsibilities after the loss.

Make check-ins a regular part of the transitional process. These should include reminders that mental health resources are available. But, be sensitive in how you offer those resources. Sending them as part of a standard "return to work" message can prevent people from feeling like you're overstepping.

Emerging Bereavement Leave Trends

As companies start to treat grief as a uniquely personal experience, more and more are building out their bereavement policies.

One notable addition is miscarriage leave. Among those that responded to NFP's recent study, almost 25% now provide paid bereavement leave for pregnancy loss and failed in vitro fertilization attempts. Just over a third of those offer five days, while more than half vary the number of days allowed based on need.

Pet bereavement leave is also becoming more common. More than 5% of NFP respondents allow bereavement leave for pet loss, which can feel as devastating as losing a human loved one.

Another emerging trend is bereavement pay, which some companies call a bereavement allowance. The employee can use this financial support to supplement the deceased's lost income or help with end-of-life costs.

Example Bereavement Leave Policy Template

Now that you've considered the many options for bereavement leave policies and how to communicate them, it's time for the most challenging part.

How, exactly, do you word your policy?

The blank page is always the biggest hurdle. Use this template as a starting point to get you on the right track:

Bereavement Leave Policy for [Company]

This policy establishes guidelines for employee absences related to the death of [eligible losses, e.g. "immediate family members," "family members," or "close loved ones"]

Eligibility

Bereavement leave is available to employees who meet the following requirements:

List of criteria, e.g. "Full time or full-time equivalent"

Leave Allowances

[Company] allows employees to take up to:

[Number] consecutive working days of leave following the death of [Relationship type, e.g. immediate family, with examples as needed and appropriate]
[Number] consecutive working days of leave following the death of [Relationship type, e.g. extended family, chosen family, etc.]
[Number] hours of leave to attend the funeral of a friend, colleague, or other person of similar relationship status

Requesting Leave

Employees should apply for bereavement leave by notifying [department or individual]. Other than by requested exception, the employee must provide the following:

The deceased's relationship to the employee (e.g. parent, stepchild, legal guardian in childhood)
The number of days they are requesting
The first date of their requested leave

[Company] is committed to meeting the needs of grieving team members. For questions about your unique situation, contact [Name] at [email].

Use this template as the starting point for your original policy. Get buy-in from HR, managers, and employees until you've developed a fair, compassionate final product.

Providing Comprehensive Grief Support With Wellness Programs

Grieving employees need all the support they can get at home and work. As an understanding employer, you can help them through this difficult transition with a thoughtful leave policy and employee wellbeing resources.

Employee wellbeing programs provide valuable resources to help people care for themselves. From meditation to sleep tracking, employees get support for their mental and physical wellness. And given that 83% of employees would consider leaving a company that doesn't focus on wellbeing, according to our State of Work-Life Wellness 2025 report, the value to employers is just as clear.

Wellhub can help your company find the wellbeing resources your employees need to take care of themselves through life's peaks and valleys. Speak to a wellbeing specialist today to learn how we can help you support your people.

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[*] Based on proprietary research comparing healthcare costs of active Wellhub users to non-users.