Leaves are the provision of company policies that are availed by employees for multiple reasons such as rejuvenating, relaxing, performing any personal tasks, etc. The reason for leaves are varied and so are its types.
Among many of the leaves provisions, the bereavement leave is one which is given to grieve the loss of dear ones or family member. It is an essential leave provision that is a time off from from work to perform the last rites of the family members and grieve the death of a close one.
Bereavement leave in India has a certain policy which needs alignation with the company policies to ensure compliance of the laws, which we will discuss in later part of this blog.
So let us take a sneak peek into the blog to understand about bereavement leave. Bereavement leave policy, its essentiality, and benefits in details.
What is Bereavement Leave?
Bereavement leave is a paid or unpaid time-off taken by an employee due to the death of a close family member, or of a loved one. This allows the employee to grieve the loss, make the funeral arrangements, and manage personal matters that occured due to the death of a family member, such as any property litigation, will transfer, bank account closing of the deceased, etc.
The length or duration of bereavement policy depends significantly on the employer’s policies, local labor laws and the terms of service of the employee.
Generally, it ranges from fw days to a week depending on the relationship of the employee with the deceased and the company’s policies. For example, in case the deceased is an immediate family member of the employee, the duration of bereavement might be extended but if the loss of a distant family member occurs, then the duration of the bereavement leave might be diminished to few days or so.
What are the Policies of Bereavement Leave in India?
In general, employees of any organization get a minimum of a few days of compassionate leave for bereavement leave purposes. As per the norms, the organization can not interfere with those employees during the business’s regular operations.
In the United States of America, they have the Family and Medical Leave Act that provides permits for 3 months of certified unpaid leave for employees. On the other hand in the United Kingdom, there are no time restrictions for those employees who are about to take paid or unpaid bereavement leave.
In India, there is no such rules and regulations on bereavement leave policy. Most of the company arrange their own policy for bereavement leave. In some companies, it is paid for the others it is unpaid. In most cases, the employers provide one week of paid time off to grieve the loss of immediate family members such as parents, grandparents, siblings, spouses, kids, and in-laws, etc.
Importance of Bereavement Leave?
The significance of bereavement leave for employees is that is provides time to employees to grieve the loss of their closed ones, manage family matters and rejuvinate from the tough time.
It allows time to the employees to take time off, conditioned their state of mind and come back stronger again. The importance of bereavement leave for both employer and employees are as follows:
1. Recover Mental Stability
It allows time to the employees to regain their frame of mind to work efficiently. It provides them time off to grieve the loss of the closed one and heal their pain in thoughts as well as regain their higher self to come back stronger again.
2. Emotional Support
A bereavement leave showcases the employer empathy towards the employee in the time of grey. Empathy in work culture fosters the trusts and understanding among the employees and employers as well as builds a robust professional connection among the workforce.
3. Manage Family Matters
A bereavement leave policy gives time to the employees to manage their family matters associated with the deceased family member such as, sorting any legal obligation relating to the deceased, family will settlement, death certificate and documentation of the deceased, closing of bank accounts, insurances, etc.
4. Attend Funerals
The bereavement leave policy allows the employees to attend and make preparations for the performing the last rites of the closed ones or the set the funeral rites. It provides them with necessary time to cope with the loss without added stress of work.
5. Enhance Employee Connection
The employee and employer relationship grows stronger with the bereavement leave approval as it highlights the health work culture and empathetic leadership. This further improves the motivation of employees to stay loyal to the organization in the times of grey.
What is included in Bereavement Leave Policy?
Though there are no such policies on bereavement leaves in India, they remain flexible for almost every worker. However, employers must focus on some policies. A bereavement leave policy varies depending employee-employer relationship grows stronger with the approval of bereavement leave, as it highlights the healthy work culture and empathetic leadership. This further improves employees’ motivation to stay loyal to the organization in the the on the organization’s culture, size, industry types, etc.
Some key elements that are necessitated for the bereavement leave policy are:
➔ Eligibility Criteria
Arranging eligibility criteria for bereavement leave is one of the important elements for the company where employers have to take care of employees’ loss which typically includes immediate family members such as spouses, children, parents, and sometimes extended family members or close friends.
➔ Duration of Leave
It is the second important element that employers have to make sure of every time is the number of days or hours of leave an employee is entitled to for different categories of relationships (e.g., more days for immediate family, fewer days for extended family or friends). Employees can use their shift management software to plan the bereavement leave.
➔ Type of Leave ( Paid leave or Unpaid Leave)
For every company, it is highly essential to think about bereavement leave whether paid or unpaid. Often organization arranges policy in a specific way likewise if the employee takes more than a week as leave they will have to pay for it.
On the other hand, some company arranges flexi leaves for numerous day for the employees in lieu of a proper certificate.
➔ Notice and Documentation
Outline the process for requesting bereavement leave, including how much notice is required and any documentation (such as an obituary notice or death certificate) that might be needed.
➔ Return to Work Transition
Employers can arrange a one-to-one meeting to deliver moral support to employees who have just experienced the loss of family members, or close friends recently. Providing proper guidance on how employees can communicate their readiness to return to work helps employees feel positive at the workplace.
How to Apply for Bereavement Leave in India?
To apply for bereavement leave, there are structured forms and paperwork for some companies while others follow the culture of email. While there is no certain guideline to apply for bereavement leave, yet the basic application etiquette to be followed are:
- Intimate the cause immediately as soon as it occurs to your senior or supervisor specifying the reason for death and your relation with the deceased.
- Update in leave management system by applying for leave as soon as possible to avoid loss of pay in case the bereavement leave is a paid leave provision in your organization.
- Discuss the policies with your manager or supervisor and plan in accordance.
- Complete the paperwork formalities of your company related to bereavement leave and apply for leave in your HRMS software.
- Seek suggestions from seniors regarding the number of leaves to be availed, planning works to be assigned in your absence, etc.
FAQs on Bereavement Leave
1. Are Bereavement Leave Paid?
The bereavement leave to be paid or unpaid, depends on the company policies, employees terms of service, relation of employee with the deceased and the duration of their leave appealed.
2. Is Bereavement Leave Paid in India?
Most employers in India provides paid leave in bereavement leave policy to employees for the death of an immediate family member or a loved one depending on the company policy, although there is no law mandate to do so. An employee can also request for bereavement leave so that they can take care for a near relative who depends on them for care (dependant relative).
3. What is the Proof for Bereavement Leave?
The documents or proofs required to apply for bereavement leave are:
- Death certificate of the deceased family member
- Doctor’s note on the deceased family member
- Paperwork from the funeral rites performed
- The company policy form that requires the approval of your immediate manger for the bereavement leave, etc.
4. Is it Compulsory to Provide Bereavement Leaves?
No, it is not a law mandate to provide bereavement leaves to employees, however it has significant impact on work culture and building empathetic employer-employee relation which is essential for fostering healthy work culture in the organization.
5. Does Bereavement Count as a Sick Day?
Yes, bereavement leave is counted in sick leaves if your company does not have separate bereavement provision in their leave policy. Some companies have separate bereavement provisions which allows them to count the leaves in bereavement leave and not as sick leaves.
6. How Long Do You Get for Bereavement Leave?
Although there is no specific provision to it, but the bereavement leave can last from a few days to a week in maximum for the death of an immediate family member or a loved one. Some companies might extend the days of bereavement leave from 3 to 7 days or long depending on their company policies, urgency of availability of the employee for work, employee terms of service, etc.
7. What Family Members Qualify for Bereavement Leave?
In India, bereavement leave is mostly approved for the death of immediate family members including, parents, siblings, spouses, children, In laws or dependent relative who are dependent on the employees for their take care. Some companies might allow bereavement leaves for maternal and paternal grandparents, a immediate uncles and aunts depending on their provisions or policies.
