Grief leave is catching on with more companies

Grief leave is catching on with mora companiesGrief leave is catching on with more companiesTheres almost no harder task than to keep working after losing a close family member. Companies are increasingly recognizing that.This week, Mastercard followed in Facebooks footsteps by extending its bereavement policy of 15 days to 20 days for employees who lose a child, spouse, or domestic partner.This is another continuation of how we want to value employees at every stage of their life, Mastercards Chief Human Resources Officer Michael Fraccaro told Ladders.For the adoption orbirth of a child, Mastercard will send its employees a bib and a gift. But the company wants to help its employees not only intimes of celebration, but also in their hardest moments of loss.Although Fraccaro recognizes that there is no amount of time that is going to compensate for the loss of a loved ones, whether its 15 days or 25 days, he believes the paid time off makes a significant difference in employees lives . A very important life event, which we know is going to happen at some point, is this period of a bereavement when youve lost someone close to you, Fraccaro said. We want to ensure that you take whatever time you needto work through the emotional aspects but also the practical aspects.Beyond the initial time off from work, Mastercard said it would supportemployees who lose an immediate family member like a spouse or partner with resources, including face-to-face counseling, and 18 months of medical insurance coverage.The company said it was directly inspired by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, who announced that she was extending Facebooks 10 days of paid bereavementleave to 20 days earlier this year.pullquote When your heart is broken, your head doesnt work right. /pullquoteIn her February announcement on the policy change, Sandberg said that she becameintimately familiar with why extensive bereavement policies were needed after herhusband Dave Goldberg died unexpectedly in 2015.Amid the nightmare of Daves death when my kids needed me more than ever, I was grateful every day to work for a company that provides bereavement leave and flexibility. I needed both to start my recovery, Sandberg wrote in her announcement. I know how rare that is, and I believe strongly that it shouldnt be. People should be able both to work and be there for their families. No one should face this trade-off.In addition to the 20 days of leave to grieve an immediate family member, Facebook employees also get 10 paid days to grieve an extended family member, and up to six weeks to care for a sick relative.Benefits of bereavement policiesThe U.S. does not mandate paid bereavement leave but these policies benefit both employer and employee. Employers want engaged employees, and thats not possible while theyre experiencing the immediate grief of personal tragedy.The Grief Index surveyed 35,000 grieving employees and found that U.S. businesses lose more than $37.6billion annually due to mist akes, absenteeism and low productivity that result from grief.Only 69% of employees in the private sector get paid time off after the death of a family member, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Giving employees more than the standard two to three days would help them immensely with planning funerals and processing theirpain, and it dismantles the theory that employees have to compartmentalize their lives and feelings.Russell Friedman, executive director of the Grief Recover Institute, told NBC News about why longer policies are need. You cant park your grief at the office door and then pick it up at fivewhen your heart is broken, your head doesnt work right.