Grieving people in the East Midlands say they are being failed

Bereaved people across the East Midlands are being failed by a lack of support including in the workplace, according to a new report.

Published by the National Council for Palliative Care, it revealed data that shows nationally, a third of people who were bereaved whilst in a job did not feel their employer treated them with compassion.

The research found that in the East Midlands, more than half said they would consider leaving their job if their employer did not provide proper support. The research also found considerable public backing for bereavement support in the workplace, including paid bereavement leave and flexible working.

As a starting point, the report calls on employers to ensure they have an updated bereavement policy, which sets out what support employees who have been bereaved are entitled to.

Eve Richardson, of the National Council for Palliative Care and the Dying Matters Coalition said: “The costs of bereavement are too great to ignore, both for individuals and for society. Employers have an important role to play by being compassionate and having a bereavement policy in place.”