When an employee experiences bereavement, the workplace may be one of the last places they expect to turn for support. Yet employers have an important role to play in helping people navigate one of life’s most difficult experiences. The challenge is ensuring that the support available reflects the reality of grief, including the many forms of loss that may not fit neatly into a traditional bereavement policy.
This is particularly important when it comes to pregnancy and baby loss. The CIPD estimates that around one in four pregnancies in the UK ends in loss during pregnancy or birth, meaning that this is not a rare workplace issue. Yet its research found that only 36% of organizations had a policy covering pregnancy loss or miscarriage, while 21% of employees who had experienced pregnancy or baby loss said they received no support from their employer.
And the issue isn’t just a UK-based one – with estimates of up to a million miscarriages happening in the US annually, and over 20,000 stillbirths.
For employers, this raises the important question of whether their bereavement policy recognize every kind of loss, or only the losses that are easiest to define.
A comprehensive approach should consider miscarriage, stillbirth and neonatal death, but also recognize that grief can affect partners, intended parents, adoptive parents, foster parents and people involved in surrogacy. It should also acknowledge that individuals can experience pregnancy loss in very different ways. A policy that provides support only to the person who was pregnant, for example, may unintentionally leave their partner without the recognition or flexibility they need.
The answer is not necessarily to create an increasingly complex collection of policies. Instead, organizations should aim for a compassionate framework that provides clarity while allowing room for individual circumstances.
That flexibility matters. CIPD research found that only 25% of employees who had experienced pregnancy or baby loss received paid compassionate or special leave, despite 46% saying this would have been helpful. Just 40% felt their manager demonstrated an understanding that their experience could be challenging.
This highlights another important point: a policy is only as effective as the people implementing it.
Managers are often the first point of contact when an employee needs support. They do not need to become experts in grief, but they do need the confidence to respond with empathy, respect an employee’s privacy and understand what flexibility or leave is available. A simple, compassionate conversation can make an enormous difference.
There is encouraging evidence that getting this right benefits both employees and organizations. Among employees who received support following pregnancy or baby loss, 60% said it had a positive impact on their mental wellbeing, while 55% said it positively affected their ability to perform well at work.
As employment expectations and legal provisions around bereavement continue to evolve, this is a timely opportunity for employers to review their approach.
Ultimately, a good bereavement policy is not about anticipating every possible form of loss. It is about creating an environment where employees know that, whatever their circumstances, they will be treated with dignity, compassion and understanding.
The goal should be more than having the right policy on paper. It should be creating a workplace where people feel supported when life becomes difficult, and confident that they do not have to choose between grieving and belonging. If you would like to discuss how we can help you design a bereavement policy that is comprehensive and inclusive for all, please get in touch with us today.
