‘Grief literacy’ what it is, and why it is going to be more important

There’s an account I follow that posts, every single evening, photographs of Labradors who have died (or, in pet-talk “gone over the rainbow bridge”). Grey chops, kind eyes. It gets me every time.

The Government’s new rules on bereavement, although they reduce the barriers to access, do not cover pet loss. Neither do they cover losing a close friend or taking time off to support a partner who has lost someone close. These things and more have happened to people I work with, and sometimes I am the first person they have talked to about it.

Whilst not perfect, the new rules are much better than the rules they replace. From April next year, employees will have the right to take fourteen unpaid days across the year following a bereavement (including of a step, half, or adopted relative; and following baby loss). And people won’t need to produce a death certificate or any other evidence of the death before taking time off. Both of these changes are welcome.

That flexibility is particularly important. Grief does not arrive tidily in the period before or just after a funeral. It turns up at an anniversary, on the day that you have to clear your parent’s home, or maybe the afternoon that you finally sort the inheritance out, months and months later, when everyone has long stopped asking how you are doing.

It can also arise quite suddenly, without notice. A recent article in the New Scientist refers to a study of “grief attacks”, when grief hits so suddenly, sometimes months after the loss that causes it, that the entire mind and body is momentarily consumed, similar to a panic attack. The capacity to go to, or to stay at, work, is severely impacted.

The same study explores the complexity of grieving as a non-linear process, affecting the mind and the body in ways we are only now beginning to talk about, and for a longer period of time than we had previously thought.

I raise this because the new rules are not so much ‘rules’ as an attempt to increase the baseline support for people who are grieving. Leaders and managers will still need to use their discretion, judgement and, most of all, compassion to work out how best to support someone they work with when somebody close to them has died.

In fact, the new rules will place significantly heavier responsibilities and emotional expectations on managers. They will need a greater level of ‘grief literacy’ to navigate the grey areas than the old, more rigid, statutory bereavement leave entitlement called for.

For example, while the new leave is a day-one statutory right, it is unpaid. Many people may be reluctant to take the time off they need if, on top of dealing with their grief, they have to factor in a temporary reduction in income. They may take annual, or sick, leave instead. Others may throw themselves into work a little too readily. Burnout and bereavement exhaustion are a toxic combination.

They also introduce a trust issue. With no need to provide evidence of a bereavement, managers (and payroll systems) will need to keep track of absences, be alert to any uncharacteristic mood or behaviour changes, and prepared to have some very delicate conversations.

The 56-week window for the 14-day allowance, rather than a single term of short-term leave of a few days, may also present systemic challenges. Sporadic and perhaps unplanned absences over a full year risk complicating resource management and, if not properly handled, may cause wider team resentment.

An up-to-date policy is a good starting point, but what leaders do around it matters just as much and will be remembered long after the initial sorrow of the bereavement has passed.

We are going to need leaders to better understand how grief impacts people at work (their minds, and their bodies); who can exercise discretion and make compassionate decisions around the policy; who understand that it may be necessary to put together a return-to-work plan, and how to do this; and who can make resources available to the employee, and their family, to support them with everything that comes after a death.

The stakes are high. Studies show that a significant number of people who suffer a close loss, perhaps as many as 50 percent, quit or change jobs in the 12 months following a bereavement. This is often because of the lack of support they received from their employer in the days, weeks and months following their loss. That is a staggering statistic. We don’t know how many of them will have stayed if they had felt that they and their family were properly supported during some of the most difficult days of their life.

The new rules come into effect in April 2027, so organisations have time to get their ducks in a row. This may include a policy re-think but should also cover making sure that leaders and managers are equipped to respond appropriately when the very worst of things happen to one of their colleagues.