Though paid bereavement leave is important, being a bereavement-friendly workplace doesn’t have to be expensive - a lot of it is about flexibility, sensitivity and good communication.
Most people want to be supportive when a colleague or employee is bereaved. But sometimes it is difficult to know the right thing to do, and people worry about saying the wrong thing.
To mark Demystifying Death Week 2022, we worked with the Scottish Bereavement Charter Group to launch a new suite of resources help managers, employers and colleagues create more bereavement-friendly workplaces.
From Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief and the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care:
Scottish Bereavement-Friendly Workplaces Toolkit
This online toolkit is designed for people who want to make their workplace a supportive place for people who have been bereaved. It includes information for colleagues, managers and employers, as well as for people returning to work after a bereavement themselves. The toolkit includes links to training, resources, films, good practice guidance and bereavemetn support organisations.
What to do when a colleague has been bereaved
This leaflet gives some tips on the kind of things that a colleague can say or do to show support when someone is bereaved.
This checklist shows the various ways that an employer can create a supportive environment for bereaved staff.
From the Scottish Bereavement Charter Group:
Bereavement Charter Mark for Employers in Scotland
An employer can demonstrate that their organisation is proactively working to support bereaved employees by displaying the Bereavement Charter Mark on their website or within their buildings. Having the charter mark on your website demonstrates that you are working to make your community a place where people who are bereaved feel supported by the people around them.
Employer's Guide to the Bereavement Charter
The Guide introduces the Bereavement Charter for Adults and Children in Scotland, and explains how employers can demonstrate their support for the Charter.
This film introduces the Bereavement Charter for Adults and Children in Scotland, and suggests ways that everyone can help create a Scotland where people are supported when they're grieving.
