Bereavement leave

You can ask for time off to grieve and take care of practical arrangements if a relative or loved one dies.

Grief affects us differently and managers should consider requests for bereavement leave based on your individual circumstances. 

Leave and pay  

When a dependant or close relative dies  

Managers can give up to 2 weeks’ paid bereavement leave when a dependant or close relative dies.

Examples of a dependant include a:  

• baby during the first 24 weeks of pregnancy 
• spouse, partner or civil partner 
• parent 
• person who relied on you as their main carer
• another close relative
• another member of the household (not a tenant, lodger or boarder)

If your child dies, you can take parental bereavement leave.  

If your baby dies after 24 weeks of pregnancy and up to 28 days after birth, you can take your maternity, shared parental, adoption or paternity leave as planned. You can find out more about the support available in our information on pregnancy loss, stillbirth and neonatal death. 

Examples of a close relative include a:

• parent-in-law 
• grandparent 
• brother 
• sister 
• aunt 
• uncle 
• nephew 
• niece
• step brother or sister
• other loved one (including close friends)  

Taking bereavement leave 

Tell your manager as soon as you need to start bereavement leave.

Once agreed, this should be booked in My Oracle under 'family leave'. Then choose the 'bereavement leave' option.  

If you need more time off  

Ask your manager if you need more time away from work. If increasing your bereavement leave isn't possible, you can discuss the following options:

• annual leave
• working flexibly
• unpaid leave

You should book annual leave and unpaid leave in My Oracle.  

Support for your return to work 

Reasonable adjustments 

Before you return to work, your manager should ask if you need any workplace adjustments (for example, a phased return to work, earlier start and finish times, sensitive allocation of work tasks or projects, reducing your hours temporarily).  

Counselling and emotional support

Whatever your situation and no matter what you’re feeling or going through, we offer a range of support options and can help you find someone you can talk to.

Further advice and support

If you have any further questions about the support available or would like support in discussing this topic with your manager, you can contact People Support by logging your query in the Assyst portal. For more urgent queries, you should call or email the team.