Valentine’s Day 2017 was one of the most devastating days of my life. Without any warning, without any signs, without any notice, my father passed away. More than three years later, I recall every detail of my mother’s frantic call to tell me when she couldn’t find my dad. I remember scrambling to the car with my husband and our then two and four-year-old children, the long drive from New York to Massachusetts, stuck in traffic, my daughter repeatedly vomiting all over me, then walking up the garage stairs into the house very late in the evening, praying that my father would be alive at home waiting for us. He was not.
It’s Time to Rethink Corporate Bereavement Policies
While many organizations are rushing to rethink parental leave policies, wellness benefits, and extending remote working policies after this pandemic, bereavement policies probably haven’t been at the top of many lists. Maybe this is because many of us are uncomfortable embracing death, grief, and loss in the workplace. But this is the right time to reconsider bereavement leave. First, give more time off for people to process their emotions and manage funerals and finances. Expand what your organization defines as family to include close friends and even unborn babies in the case of miscarriages. Do not ask for proof of death. Offer grief counseling to those who want it. And, finally, take the individual’s lead in figuring out their workload and pace after they return.