Bereavement leave for partner' parents?

Caroliso · July 2006

If your bereavement policy permits time off due to the death of a life partner, what does your policy say with respect to parents of a life partner? Are they included?

Our policy covers parents-in-law, and I'm faced with a real life situation that causes me to ask.

Irie · July 2006

We do not recognize "partners" however, if we did allow someone bereavement leave for a "partner" then the "partner-in-law" would apply too.

Balloonman1 · July 2006

What do you thing the right thing to do is?

What do you have to lose by granting it? How many employees have "parnters"?

Balloonman

Whirlwind · July 2006

We treat a partner's parent the same as a parent-in-law for what is called "emergency leave," which covers bereavement and other urgent situations not covered by sick leave.

njjel · July 2006

For that purpose we would allow time off for death of a partner's parents. We do not however offer medical insurance to a partner. (Just as an fyi)

Caroliso · August 2006

Thanks, all for your comments. the right thing to do was to grant it, which I did.

FrayWitzer · August 2006

I agree with you that this was the right thing to do from a basic "we should do the right thing" perspective.

It does, however, put you in an interesting position. Because same sex couples can marry here in Massachusetts, many companies have moved back to limiting these types of benefits to married couples. What happens when a (heterosexual) employee asks for the same leave because his boyfriend/ girlfriend's parents died? If you don't allow such leave, the employee can argue reverse-discrimination.

Just another dispatch from the "no good deed department," I suppose.

-Evan

LarryC · August 2006

Questions for those who recognize partners:

Do you consider "SO's" to be partners?

How do you determine if it's a partner or a live-in friend, or just a couple month fling?

Just curious.

SMace · August 2006

We do not recognize heterosexual or homosexual partners.

E Wart · August 2006

I am just wondering what you would do if one of your employees came in and said his live in girl friend's father died. Would you give him time off for this too? Do you have a time line as far as how long they have "lived in" or "been a partner"?
Live get's complicated doesn't it.
(I don't disagree that you did the right thing. Just wondering.)

E Wart

Bereavement leave for partner' parents?

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