Bereavement Leave – What Employers Need to Know

Last updated: October 31st, 2023

First published: February 8th 2018
Last updated: October 31st 2023

Supporting employees who have suffered a bereavement can be a challenging issue for employers of all sizes, but in particular, small and medium employers.

It’s important for employers to realise that different people cope with bereavement in different ways.

In managing this sensitive scenario, employers must also balance their duty of care towards their employees with the economic, technical and organisational needs of the business.

No statutory right to bereavement leave

Employees have no statutory entitlement to time off work (paid or unpaid) to grieve the loss of a loved one.

However, it is considered reasonable and advisable best practice for an employer to offer an employee limited paid time-off work to grieve, make funeral arrangements and attend a funeral.

The duration of that paid time-off work often depends on the relationship between the employee and the deceased. In certain circumstances, additional unpaid time-off work may also be offered to an employee.

Bereavement leave policy

It is advisable for employers to have a clause, paragraph or policy in their Employee Handbook in respect of bereavement leave. This policy will set out parameters so that both employer and employee are clear on how to manage any requests for bereavement leave.

This policy ought to state that the company understands the loss of a loved one must be managed in a sensitive and caring manner.

Suggested parameters to be established strictly as a guide in the Policy for paid time-off work for bereaved employees are:

  • Spouse/ Partner/ Child – 1 week’s paid leave;
  • Parent/ Brother/ Sister – 3 day’s paid leave; and
  • Mother-In-Law/ Father-In-Law/ Brother-In-Law/ Sister-In-Law/ Grandparents/ Grandchild/ Uncle/ Aunt – 1 day’s paid leave.

The Policy should state that management have a discretion to offer additional days – whether paid or unpaid – and that this discretion will be applied on a case-by-case basis.

It may also be appropriate to accept any requests for annual leave to allow the employee to grieve.

The above categories are merely guidelines and each employer is free to formulate their own specific parameters.

Where an employee requests bereavement leave following a death not covered in the above categories, such a request should be addressed using management discretion and on a case-by-case basis.

Typically, paid bereavement leave ought not to be offered for the death of pets. However, this would be a matter for the discretion of management.

For expert HR guidance on bereavement leave or any other aspect of Irish employment law, call us today on 01 886 0350

Book a call with a consultant

Complete the form below and a consultant will call you as soon as possible.

Book a call with a consultant

Complete the form below and a consultant will call you as soon as possible.

Latest Resources

St Patrick’s Day: Have you prepared for absenteeism?

Published: March 20th 2024 Following national celebrations and public holidays like St Patrick’s day, you could find yourself down several staff members. And – as […]

What Employees Are Entitled to a Public Holiday Benefit & How Are Benefits Calculated?

public holiday
Published: March 20th 2024 From Easter Monday to St Patrick’s Day, Ireland gets ten public holidays and, with them, public holiday benefits. But what if […]

What happens when workplace romances go wrong

workplace romances gone wrong
First published: February 14th 2024 Last updated: February 14th 2024 Love makes the world go round, or so they say. But what effect does love […]

Olga Shevchenko

Director/Advocate, Immigration Advice Bureau

Olga Shevchenko specialises in immigration advocacy and consultancy, in particular, employment permit, visas, family reunification, citizenship, etc, for those seeking to visit, reside or invest in Ireland.

Olga provides extensive information, knowledge, and support to her clients, enabling access to positive solutions for people struggling to handle the immigration law.

Minister Neale Richmond

Minister of State, Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment

Neale Richmond TD was appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment with special responsibility for Employment Affairs and Retail Business and the Department of Social Protection in January 2023.

Much of his work at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is with businesses, workers, their representative bodies and the State Agencies to ensure that the economic recovery and growth extends to all parts of the country. He works closely with the SME sector, including retail, on building resilience and on the transition to the green and digital economies.

Mark Carpenter

Director of Regulatory & Corporate Affairs, Sky

Mark Carpenter is Director of Regulatory & Corporate Affairs at Sky Ireland. In this role he has responsibility for External and Internal Communications, Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs and the company’s ‘Bigger Picture’ (CSR) programme. He also works closely with Sky Group teams on a variety of matters, in particular our partnerships with domestic broadcasters.

Prior to working at Sky, Mark worked as a Policy Officer in Houses of the Oireachtas and as a Management Consultant at Accenture. He has a BA in History from Oxford University and a PhD in Political Science from Trinity College Dublin.

Nora Cashe

Litigation and Compliance Manager, Peninsula

Nóra studied Law in Griffith College Dublin and qualified as a Barrister in 2008, practising in the area of Criminal law. She is also member of the Irish Employment Law Association.

Nora has extensive experience representing clients at Employment Tribunal hearings, Conciliation / Mediation meetings before both the Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court. 

Nóra is a member of the Irish Employment Law Association and engages with the WRC Adjudication Service as part of their stakeholder engagement forum.

Deiric McCann

Managing Director, Genos International Europe

Deiric McCann leads Genos International Europe – The EU division of a world-leading provider of emotional intelligence solutions. 

With over two decades experience at the highest levels of management, Deiric supports clients to develop the resilience, emotional intelligence, psychological safety and engagements of their employees.

Rhiannon Coyne

Senior HR Consultant, Graphite HRM

Rhiannon Coyne is a Senior HR Consultant at Graphite HRM and will be providing an overview of best practice on how to deal with complaints of bullying and harassment in the workplace. 

With a number of recent updates to employment laws, Rhiannon will take a closer look at employment equality and how it is interlinked to Health & Safety and what employers can learn from recent case laws.

David Begg

Chairman, Workplace Relations Commission

David Begg was appointed Chairperson of the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) in January 2021.

David is also a professor at Maynooth University Institute of Social Sciences. Mr Begg’s extensive history in the trade union movement included leading the ESB Officers Association and Irish Congress of Trade Unions, stepping away from the latter in 2001 to chair international aid agency Concern.

David Begg was also previously a director of the Central Bank of Ireland between 1995 and 2010.