Half of bereaved workers return to work earlier than they would like, poll finds
Nearly half of bereaved employees are going back to work earlier than they would like because they can’t afford to take more leave, a charity has warned, calling on employers to do more to support staff who have lost loved ones.
A survey of 1,000 employees, all of whom had experienced bereavement in the last year, found 49 per cent returned to work before they were ready because they could not afford to stay off work
The poll, conducted by Marie Curie, found nearly one in five (19 per cent) also said they received no paid leave for bereavement that was additional to their normal leave entitlement, while more than half (54 per cent) worried about their job security when taking time off.
The poll also found that more than half (51 per cent) of those polled found they experienced performance issues in the months following their bereavements. But, the research, which also took testimonials from bereaved staff, found many had not been adequately supported through this by their employers.