Becoming a more bereavement friendly workplace: the Bereavement Charter Mark

Becoming a more bereavement friendly workplace: the Bereavement Charter Mark

Rebecca Patterson, Director, Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief

Most people want to be supportive when a colleague or employee is bereaved. But sometimes it is difficult to know the right thing to do, and people worry about saying the wrong thing.
Though paid bereavement leave is important, being a bereavement-friendly workplace doesn’t have to be expensive - a lot of it is about flexibility, sensitivity and good communication.

The Bereavement Charter Mark for Employers in Scotland aims to support and motivate employers to make their workplace more supportive of bereaved staff.

Having the charter mark on your website demonstrates that you are working to make your community a place where people who are bereaved feel supported by the people around them. But first, employers must agree to meet at least three of the following criteria:

• All staff are informed that their organisation is endorsing the Bereavement Charter and given an opportunity to watch a couple of short educational films about bereavement.
• All managers within the organisation have read the "Resources for Managers, Colleagues and Employers' section of the Scottish Bereavement Friendly Workplaces Toolkit.
• Senior Management has developed/adopted a Bereavement Policy for the organisation. (The ACAS Example Bereavement Policy provides a useful guide.
• The organisation has set out ways that it will visibly promote more awareness of bereavement and bereavement support, for example through its website and social media channels.
• The organisation has/will develop and display a local workplace bereavement charter.

There are lots of practical resources available to support employers achieve the Bereavement Charter Mark, all brought together on the Scottish Bereavement-Friendly Workplaces Toolkit website. The toolkit includes information for colleagues, managers and employers, as well as for people returning to work after a bereavement themselves.

The Toolkit includes links to training, resources, films, good practice guidance and bereavement support organisations. There’s a leaflet giving some tips on the kind of things that a colleague can say or do to show support when someone is bereaved, and a checklist showing the various ways that an employer can create a supportive environment for bereaved staff.

Further information:

Bereavement Charter Mark for Employers: Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief :: the Bereavement Charter for Adults and Children in Scotland (goodlifedeathgrief.org.uk)

Grief in the workplace resources from Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief: https://www.goodlifedeathgrief.org.uk/about-workplace/