As the demand for bereavement leave grows among workers, the current iteration of employee benefits highlights the clear gap between what workers want and what employers are willing to provide.
Being human is being vulnerable to tragedies of different kinds, most of which occur without notice and leave you with little time to recover. Despite this, the world keeps turning, and we are expected to continue on as usual, going to work and earning an income like we would on any other day. Returning to work in the middle of processing a great loss is now considered an unavoidable fact of the modern world, but for workers, normalizing this gap in leave benefits just doesn’t sit right.
In a recent study, around 95% of workers stated that bereavement leave was invaluable to them, but only 84% of employers made any plans to update their grief leave policy in 2026. This disconnect between what employees want and what employers are willing to provide is one of the primary reasons for the growing divide between the two parties.
The demand for bereavement leave is growing, but employers aren’t necessarily planning to increase their offerings at a similar scale. (Image: Freepik)
Addressing The Growing Demand for Bereavement Leave at Work Could Be a Key Consideration for Employers
Bereavement leave is typically provided by a large majority of employers on a case-by-case basis, but not to the degree that employees may need. Results of Empathy’s 2026 Workplace Benefits Report were based on a survey of 5,500 employees and benefits decision-makers across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. It showed that 95% of employees view bereavement leave as a valuable workplace benefit that employers should provide; however, not all employers are considering expanding this benefit this year.
Offering a robust leave system has always been a reliable way to attract and retain talent, but over the years, most employers have graduated away from such consideration. Leave policies are designed to restrict the amount of time spent away from the office, despite flexibility being one of the most popular benefits employees request.
“From this research, it’s clear that employers have a unique opportunity to create benefit programs that meaningfully support employees during life’s most disruptive moments,” Ron Gura, Co-Founder and CEO of Empathy, said in the report. “Bereavement stands out as the clearest, most urgent entry point, not just as a fringe benefit, but as a core example of how employers can move beyond more generic offerings toward more relevant yet comprehensive support.”
Even While Offering Bereavement Leave Benefits, There Is a Gap Between Expectations and Reality
There are many employers who do offer leave benefits to cater to urgent life-events; however, the manner of provision is also important. Some have a very restricted offer of a 2-4 day allowance for bereavement leave. It is undoubtedly true that even an entire month away from work may not truly be enough to fully recover from grief and loss, so it can be difficult to truly give employees as much time away as they need. However, the emphasis on work over the personal life of an employee is evident when the two aspects are extremely interconnected and should be treated as such.
Often, there are restrictions on when this leave can be utilized as well. Many are willing to offer leave for the loss of a parent or child, but not as freely for a close friend or family member. In recent years, there has also been a rise in employees pushing for pet bereavement leave, as the loss of a family pet hits them just as hard as the loss of any other member of their close circle. Navigating bereavement leave can be extremely complicated, as grief and loss hit everyone differently, and it can be impossible to truly standardize a policy that meets everyone’s needs. Despite this, it is important to work towards such leave policies.
“When I miscarried my first child, and I was struggling to come to terms with everything I needed to do in the aftermath, my employer responded to my request for bereavement leave with a one-day break from work. For which I needed to fill in a form to justify my absence,” an IT manager from Wisconsin told us. “My manager treated the request with such distaste, reminding me that I had only recently taken time off after the loss of a close friend. How was I supposed to measure my grief and decide when it was and wasn’t okay for me to feel overwhelmed by the loss I had faced?”
There Is a Growing Sense of Dissatisfaction Concerning Workplace Benefits
Often, benefits offered by employers are limited to those that look good on paper, but are ones that employees aren’t likely to use as frequently. Sure, a gym membership is a great way to help employees care for their health and well-being, but if the workplace doesn’t allow for employees to log out of work on time or have days with lighter workloads to leave them with sufficient energy to use the gym, then the benefit ultimately makes little difference to the employees.
Employees who are offered unlimited PTO days have similar reservations about using them. Without a culture that also supports employees using their paid time off, employees are rarely in a position to take time off when they need it. Similarly, if their workloads are not maintained or their pay is too low to economically support a vacation, most employees will struggle with taking time off from work, making the benefit ultimately unhelpful for them.
Updating Your Leave Policy and List of Employee Benefits Should Be a Priority in 2026
Following employee benefits trends may help create a fabulous list of rewards to offer candidates and attract them to the role, but as the workplace benefits report highlights, they will either be a poor match for what employees need or result in a situation where employees will never be able to use them.
In 2026, meeting employee demands for flexibility or bereavement accommodations in a more comprehensive manner will allow employees to return to work in a better state than they were in when they left. There is no single right way to design benefits for the workplace, but it is important to ensure that when offered, they are carefully designed.
Do you think the growing demands for bereavement leave as a workplace benefit are justified? Share your thoughts with us in the comments. Subscribe to The HR Digest for more insights on workplace trends, layoffs, and what to expect with the advent of AI.
