It’s time to stop shying away from grief in the workplace

Charlotte Eaton, Chief People Officer, OVO

The past few years have seen families across the UK handle life-changing events. As employers, we need to combat the outdated notion that, once at work, you must “leave your personal life at the door”. 

Opening up the conversation on grief in the workplace

Unfortunately, grief is one of life’s waves that we will all inevitably have to ride. Whether it be family or friend, young person or old, accepting the loss of a loved one comes with no timeframe and is often one of the most difficult experiences to communicate, both inside and outside of work. We want to change this, to break the taboo around grief and loss at work, removing the pressure for people to “move on” and return to business as usual.

Grief is experienced differently from person to person, so we feel strongly that we shouldn’t be prescriptive when it comes to compassionate leave, or leave for pregnancy loss.  We’ve found that when an unexpected situation happens, and we give our people the space and time to grieve without a set return to work date, this allows them to solely focus on supporting themselves and their loved ones. We cannot – and should not – quantify the impact of life-changing scenarios.

OVO’s People Offer provides fully paid, unlimited compassionate leave, allowing and encouraging our people to take the time they need to properly grieve the loss of a loved one. This includes unlimited paid leave for any kind of pregnancy-related loss – from miscarriages to unsuccessful IVF attempts. We hope that the offer of unlimited leave in both instances will allow individuals to fully reset and recover before returning to work. 

OVO’s recent research reveals 72% of UK workers who have taken compassionate leave in the past two years said they cut their grieving process short to get back to work quicker. Over a third (34%) even said that they felt guilty about taking too much time off for compassionate leave, owing to work pressures.

Businesses are not required by law to offer compassionate or pregnancy loss leave, putting many workers across the UK in an even more devastating situation. 

Supporting people through all of life’s adventures 

We believe a holistic approach – supporting people during the good times and the bad – helps our people feel supported through key life events, ensuring they take time away from their work when it is needed. In addition to unlimited compassionate leave, other benefits include paid leave for ‘Moments that Matter’, meaning days off can be taken for life’s important moments, such as a child’s first day of school, moving home, celebrating a milestone birthday, or even taking a week to learn a new life skill; and ‘recharge’ leave – extra paid leave granted after intense periods. 

Encouraging everyone to bring their whole selves to work

OVO’s values are built upon doing what’s right. In my role as Chief People Officer, I see real life at work; I see the people behind what we do everyday. It’s important that, as the world gets faster and lives get busier, we encourage people to take some space, to focus on themselves and make life meaningful within the workplace and out. Our People Offer aims to create a strong, inclusive workforce, where everyone feels they belong.

ENDS