In some circumstances, it can currently take up to 4.5 months to conduct an initial assessment for some complaints, particularly if they are complex. We are doing everything we can to reduce this time. You can find average timescales for each stage of complaint handling across all types of complaints here.

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Bereavement Leave

The Family Leave Policies encompasses a wide range of policies, including the employee benefits, obligations and arrangements for Bereavement Leave. This page details the time off and pay entitlements an employee is able to access to deal with the death of a loved one, friend or colleague.

Link to Bereavement Policy

Benefits and Obligations

There are certain employee benefits and employer and employee obligations which apply across all Family Leave Policies. 

Please see the Family Leave Policies - Benefits and Obligations page for more information. 


Definitions

Please see the Family Leave Policies - Definitions page for a full list of definitions applicable to all included policies.


Contents

Bereavement Leave is time off work to deal with personal grief and the related practical arrangements following the death of a loved one, friend or colleague. 

Bereavement is a unique and traumatic event and people react and cope in very different ways. ESC aims to assist colleagues who are grieving by providing support and signposting internal and external resources.

Available support resources:

Notifying ESC

An employee should notify their line manager of their need to take leave as soon as possible or, at the latest, on the first day of absence. An employee's next of kin or family member can notify the employee's line manager on their behalf. 

In exceptional circumstances, applications for leave will be considered after the first day of absence. Line managers have the right to exercise discretion in exceptional circumstances as outlined above. Leave days do not have to be taken consecutively.

Employees should contact their line manager or another SMT member in the first instance to notify of a bereavement and discuss the circumstances and support required. 

ESC recognises that individual circumstances, the nature of the relationship, and the required observance of different religions may vary. As a guide, colleagues can take up to one weeks’ paid bereavement leave.

Employees are entitled to up to one weeks’ paid bereavement leave where one week is the hours normally worked during a standard week. This will be paid at the employees’ standard rate of pay.

ESC will ensure that an employee will not be subjected to a detriment, disadvantage, unfair treatment or dismissal because of absence on Bereavement Leave. Please refer to the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy.

Employees should be aware that where there is any suspicion that a claim has been made fraudulently, this will be investigated in line with the Disciplinary Policy and, if found to have occurred, may be subject to Disciplinary measures. 

A full policy Impact Assessment and details of policy version control can be found within the Family Leave Policies  page.