With the holiday season fast approaching, it’s easy to forget that, for some, it can be an extremely emotional and difficult time of year. Especially if they’ve lost someone close to them and are struggling to come to terms with bereavement.
National Grief Awareness Week (2 to 8 December 2024) provides a timely reminder for architecture practices to review their own policies and ask what they can do to create a supportive culture for colleagues who are experiencing bereavement.
Why compassionate cultures in the work place are important
Fostering a compassionate culture in the studio – supporting a bereavement policy that has already been prepared – can make all the difference to how a team member copes with the death of someone close. There are also broader considerations and sensitivities here, which involve longer periods of illness or hospital stays.
Line managers and work colleagues should be able to offer better support where practices have encouraged discussion and understanding about this sensitive subject. Lauren Phillips-Brighouse, who manages Marie Curie’s Bereavement Support Service, says: “Bereavement is a fact of family life, but while every practice should have a clearly-stated policy on maternity, a bereavement in an employee’s immediate family can leave managers with no appropriate planning for leave or flexible working, and can leave work colleagues at a loss over how best to offer their support.”
The most immediate need for someone who has experienced the death of a close family member is likely to be a sympathetic listener, particularly a sympathetic line manager. While no one expects line managers to have the skills of a trained grief counsellor, they can readily find guidance online from care organisations such as Marie Curie on helping a colleague through a difficult time.
“You're not expected to be an expert on grief or to be a counsellor,” Lauren reiterates. “But what you do can do is make a big difference to your employee's experience, as well as their ability to return to work. Use common sense and empathy to provide flexible support in a way that's sensitive to the needs of the bereaved employee, and to the wider team whose workload may be impacted too.”
“For example, if your employee has said that they won't be able to go back to regular hours for some time because they're now a single parent, you could discuss a flexible working arrangement with them that would work.”
Read more about the new flexible working legislation
How to review a bereavement policy
End-of-life charities like Marie Curie recommend that employers have a bereavement policy that line managers and other staff members can access to understand what support is available.
Employers are legally obliged to give two weeks of paid bereavement leave to an employee who has lost a child (or had a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy). Employees are also legally entitled to ‘reasonable’ time off work when a dependent dies or needs emergency care, although the law does not specify what a reasonable period would be and does not require the leave period to be paid.
Most employers offer paid bereavement leave in situations where they are not legally obliged to. Marie Curie says its own research suggests that around 70% of employers offer paid bereavement leave beyond their legal obligations.
A typical bereavement policy might include:
- how much time off someone will be allowed
- whether this depends on their relationship to the person who died
- when they can take leave – all in one go, or flexibly over time
- if this leave period will be paid or unpaid
- whether they are allowed to take time off before a person dies.
The policy should also include information about flexible working and role adjustments where they are needed, and what support will be offered when an employee returns to work. This will vary depending on the individual’s role and how responsibilities are distributed within their department.
Policies should always be flexible, as people’s responses to bereavement can vary greatly. Care organisations say employers should not make assumptions about what will be best for an employee.
What employers should look out for
Some people may want to return to work quickly, seeing it as a distraction from grief and welcoming a return to routine. However, Lauren says that managers should be aware that grief may have a significant impact on an employee’s ability to do their job, their confidence at work, and their ability to concentrate.
“There may also be important cultural aspects to consider,” Lauren continues. “Employers need to understand the different cultural and religious beliefs of their employees and it’s good practice to let them to take a lead in discussions over how they want to be supported.”
Practices can use model policies that are available online as the basis for their own.
Lauren says employers can support bereavement policies by fostering a compassionate culture in the workplace. Although, how you create this culture will depend on what works for your practice and employees. They suggest:
- integrating death, bereavement, and grief into your practice’s wellbeing plans – this could include various offers of support for employees and line managers
- thinking about where you can share with staff how bereavement matters to your organisation – for example, on your intranet site and as part of the induction process for new staff
- offering training for line managers on understanding grief, your bereavement policy, and what to say when someone experiences a bereavement or when a bereavement is anticipated
- encouraging people to understand and talk about bereavement. This would include working with staff who’ve been bereaved, who know what it’s like, and can help in crafting solutions that will be most helpful
- larger organisations might consider setting up a bereavement support network and introducing a bereavement champion and buddies.
It is important to remember that everyone processes bereavement individually and grief is not limited to the loss of immediate family members. Conversely, those grieving to check in with trusted friends, colleagues and relevant professional individuals like doctors and, if needed, bereavement counsellors. But it’s also important for line managers and colleagues to listen, be considerate and acknowledge that everyone processes grief differently.
Thanks to Lauren Phillips-Brighouse, Marie Curie Bereavement Support Service.
Text by Neal Morris. This professional feature was edited by RIBA Practice team. Send us your feedback and ideas.
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