Three days is not enough: 4 things employers should know about bereavement

Published 2 Min Read

Syda Productions from AdobeStock

Death is a difficult topic, to say the least, and one that’s especially avoided in the workplace. But employers may be doing more harm than good by not investing more time and resources into bereavement benefits.

Empathy, an employee benefit platform that helps members navigate the administrative responsibilities and emotions of loss, surveyed 1,485 respondents who experienced the loss of an immediate family member in the last five years. The survey found that 92% of employees either take time off or adjust their work commitments to deal with loss, while 76% noticed their overall performance was harmed.

Even outside the actual experience of grief, which has no timeline, dealing with the financial matters that come with losing a loved one takes over a year, according to Empathy. Employees on average reported spending 12 hours per week on tasks like planning the funeral, handling any unpaid bills or debt and dividing assets according to the wishes of the deceased. 

Read more: The burden of bereavement: Grief is the latest challenge for employers in the coronavirus era

Deanna Cuadra
Senior Reporter

Deanna Cuadra is a senior reporter at Employee Benefit News. Her work covers healthcare, U.S. policy and reform, challenges faced by women and parents in the workplace and innovation in work culture … Read full bio


For reprint and licensing requests for this article, click here.


More From Employee Benefit News

Sign Up Form

Login Modal Form