Bereavement leave (compassionate leave)

What is Bereavement leave (compassionate leave)?

Bereavement leave, also called compassionate leave, is time off granted after the death of a close family member, with the length and whether it is paid usually set by national law or company policy.

Statutory minimums, where they exist, tend to be short - a few days rather than weeks - and what counts as a qualifying relative varies by country. Many companies extend the legal floor with their own policy, since a few unpaid days rarely covers what someone actually needs.

It works best as its own leave type rather than folded into annual leave or handled as an ad hoc exception, so a grieving employee's normal holiday balance is not the thing absorbing the time off.

Related terms

• Types of leave
• Unpaid leave
• Leave policy

See also

• HREvio vs Sloneek