CIPD | Calls for the right for bereavement leave and pay to be extended

As the UK leaves enforced lockdown due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, questions are being raised over the treatment of workers suffering from the loss of a friend or family member.

According to the latest Department of Health and Social Care figures, the complete number of UK deaths as a direct consequence of contracting the coronavirus currently totals 45,318.

As a response to the mental toll that bereavement due to the pandemic has caused, the professional HR body the CIPD has penned an open letter to the Business Secretary Alok Sharma, calling on the UK Government to introduce the right to bereavement leave and pay to all employees experiencing a close family bereavement.

If the CIPD-backed legislation were to be introduced, it would mean that employees who experience the loss of any close family member – including a parent, child, partner or sibling, whether by blood, adoption or through marriage/a partner – would have the right to two weeks’ leave or paid leave from work.