How much time off should you get to mourn? Bosses extend grief leave

financialpost.com:

Five days, Tom Barklage knew, was not enough time to recover from the death of his son.

That was the message he relayed in a short email to Johnson & Johnson senior management in November 2021, less than a month after the sudden death of 17-year-old Blake from an undiagnosed infection that attacked his heart. The plea turned out to be a key factor in J&J’s July decision to increase bereavement leave from five days — the average across corporate America — to 30.

“When it was changed, it was probably one of the happiest days since Blake passed,” Barklage said in a company video about the policy shift.

J&J is part of a broader United States corporate shift toward more flexibility on bereavement, a complex issue that’s historically been fraught for people struggling with grief while navigating workplace demands. This year American Express Co. enhanced its policy to provide U.S. employees with 20 days leave for the loss of a spouse, partner or child, up from five previously. JPMorgan Chase & Co. also moved to 20 days this year, bringing it in line with rivals Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Bank of America Corp.

Companies face increasing pressure from staff, state regulators and worker advocates to expand the time employees can take off after the death of a loved one. They’re rethinking who counts as “family” and looking for ways to accommodate different cultural grieving practices across their diverse workforces. They’re also using generous bereavement policies to help compete in a tight labour market.

“Employers are demonstrating a greater level of flexibility,” said Jeff Gorter, vice president of clinical crisis response at R3 Continuum, which helps steer organizations through traumatic events like natural disasters and mass