Bereavement leave

Traceyd · October 2011

Could anyone fill me in on how they handle bereavement leave? Our current bereavement policy is very vague. We have always allowed employees 3 bereavement days off for full time employees with pay for immediate family. Is there anything wrong with granting less than 3 days if the employee isn't directly involved in the funeral arrangements or doesn't need to travel for services? This is always a sticky situation and not a time to make a big deal about time off, but I would appreciate your input on ideas on my options to prevent questions or abuse when the leave is necessary. Thanks!!!!!

NaeNae55 · October 2011

Our policy states [B]up to 3 days [/B]so employees know that it depends on the circumstances.

Dutch2 · October 2011

Same here... our policy states:
You may require only a partial day or a full day to attend the funeral; however your supervisor must pre-approve all paid bereavement time. If you require only a partial day, you will be paid, for the time you were scheduled to work but missed to attend the funeral. If it is absolutely necessary, such as for extended travel time your Supervisor can approve up to three days off with pay. If additional time off is needed, please work this out with your supervisor; however, the most that will be paid is three days. With your Supervisors’ approval, you may use available vacation time if additional time off is required.

cnghr · October 2011

Our policy is also [U]up to[/U] 3 days. Many times we have employees who only take one day or even just a partial day off to attend the funeral. For employees who are traveling some distance and three days isn't enough time, we allow them to use available vacation or paid personal time in addition to the three bereavement days.

sonny · October 2011

We must use sick or vacation time for leave. Three days is the standard but also says it will not be unreasonably denied. .Since folks are using their own time, it does not tend to be abused. .

Cheryl S SPHR · October 2011

We allow one to five days, depending upon the relationship. For example, an uncle or aunt, niece or nephew would be one day; a spouse would be five days; a parent is three days. They are outlined specifically in the policy.

Still Need Coffee · October 2011

Ours is similary to Cheryl - depending on the relation, they get anywhere from 3 to 5 days, and the policy reads "up to" instead of just giving the block of time. Employees also must provide some sort of substantiation such as an obit, handout from the service, etc.

Traceyd · October 2011

Thanks so much for your feedback on this topic. Your answers clarify my question as to whether to designate a certain number of days off based on the relationship to the employee. As always, I appreciate your help!!!

Bereavement leave

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