Compassionate Leave Policy

Compassionate leave is time off given in the instance that something traumatic or difficult happens unexpectedly outside of work. Life can be unpredictable and upsetting circumstances can affect our ability to work as normal. 

We want to support you by offering you [X days] off per year.

Why you might take compassionate leave:

• Someone you love dies or is terminally ill.
• Someone close to you, e.g., a partner, is experiencing grief or terminal illness.
• Taking time off for particular occasions, e.g., to attend a funeral, or the birthday or anniversary of someone close to you who has died.
• Pregnancy loss, such as miscarriage, abortion, or still birth, including for partners or surrogate mothers.
• Something traumatic happens to you.

If something else is affecting your ability to work please speak to [X person] or your line manager so we can discuss how we can support you.

How we’ll support you:

At [X company] you can take up to 2 weeks [paid / non-paid] compassionate leave in a 12 month rolling period. This leave will not impact your holiday entitlement. If you’re based outside of the UK there may be other statutory requirements, so please speak to [X person] if you need to take compassionate leave. All compassionate leave should be booked through [HR portal].

Grief can be unpredictable, and we trust that you will do what’s right for you. It’s up to you when you’d like to take the time off, whether that’s immediately after something happens, or a little later on. There’s no right or wrong way to grieve. Equally, there’s no obligation to take compassionate leave at all — it’s up to you.

If you need more time, we’ll work together on how best to support you, whether that’s more time off, a phased return, flexible hours or something else.