Maybe, maybe not.

Sharon McKnight SPHR

I came across this short article and it got me thinking ...

Bereavement leave is probably one of the least thought about but most welcomed when needed benefit that employers offer. For many employees it can be the only saving grace during times of extreme pain and suffering.

But what do you do when an employee lies about having a recently departed relative? Do they get a slap on the wrist? Do you terminate their employment?

Sharon

sonny

Never had it happen.

bkailiuli

We have never had it happen either. I would think the employee's history of absences and other behavior would come into play. I'm sure our director would take history into consideration but it is also a fine line because of the need to be consistent.

cnghr

We've had it happen once. An employee with family in a foreign country claimed to have lost a family member, figuring nobody would be able to prove otherwise. She didn't count on how small the world can be, because while she was gone somebody asked where she was and when they were told she had to go home because so-and-so had died, they found it interesting because they knew the family and the person had actually died a number of years before.

We terminated as soon as she got back.

Still Need Coffee

We had it happen once, and promptly fired the employee. We actually require, as morbid as it sounds, some sort of "proof" such as a death certificate, program from memorial service, obituary, etc before bereavement benefits are paid.