Rochette’s response anything but icy
Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette has been attracting admiration at the winter Olympics this week. Just two days after her mother’s sudden death, she decided to continue competing and delivered an almost perfect performance. Throughout her three minute performance to La Cumparsita, she remained composed. But when the music ended, the crowd leapt to their feet and as dozens of bouquets started to rain down on the ice, she started to weep. She was rewarded with a score of 71.36 points to stand third in the event.
Back in the UK employees have the right to take reasonable, unpaid time off work to deal with an emergency involving a dependent. This includes the right to take reasonable time off to arrange and attend a funeral.
A dependant could be spouse or partner, child, parent, or anyone living in the employee’s household as a member of the family. A dependant may also be anyone who reasonably relies on him for help in an emergency, for example an elderly neighbour living alone who falls and breaks a leg.
In the case of bereavement, employers often contractually enhance the right and pay for a few days of absence to allow the bereaved employee to arrange and attend the funeral. Sometimes called this is called compassionate leave.
What is reasonable time off will depend on the circumstances. For example, one client had a Chinese worker. She was an only child, her mother was dead and her father lived in Hong Kong. When he became ill and died, the company allowed her to take six weeks off. In another case, an employee lost a sister who lived locally. She was given time off to help arrange and attend the funeral and support her elderly parents who were very shocked, but she was given substantially less time than the first employee. Interestingly, there is no right to time off to grieve.
If you would like to find out more about how to deal with bereavement counselling and compassionate leave in the workplace, we provide expert knowledge in the practical application of employment law. For more information, visit www.russellhrconsulting.co.uk or contact us on:0845 644 8955 or e-mail pm@russellhrconsulting.co.uk.