In most countries, there are no laws mandating bereavement leave. Employers can establish their own policies and decide on the duration of leave at their discretion.
Each employer sets its own bereavement leave rules. Some include step-grandparents, others don’t.
Ask your HR for the policy. Check the definitions section, specifically how “grandparents” is defined.
As a general rule of thumb, you get bereavement leave when an immediate family member dies.
Immediate family includes your spouse, significant other, parents, grandparents, siblings, grandchildren, in-laws, step-parents, step-children, step-siblings, or a league guardian or other parent who stands in the place of a parent.
As an exception, bereavement leave applies only if the step-grandparent played a significant role in raising the individual.
In other words, step-grandparent bereavement leave is granted only if they served as your guardian while you were a minor.
Needless to say, there’s no need to differentiate between a step-grandparent or a biological grandparent. If you’re close, the pain is the same.
Advocating for Compassion and Understanding in the Workplace
Ideally, employers should show compassion and generosity by allowing employees sufficient time to cope with their loss.
If there are no bereavement leave rules, HR should recognize the sensitivity of this time for the affected employee. Enough time off allows employees to grieve and return to work in a better mental state.
If your employer doesn’t understand that you need a few days off following the death of a step-grandparent you were very close to, maybe they’re not the best to work for.
After all, your boss would take that leave if someone in their family passed away.
The standard for bereavement leave varies, but it’s usually three days. Check with HR and your supervisor.
Three days may feel too short and unrealistic for some. In many cultures, the funeral isn’t even done by then.
It’s a bit much to expect someone to bounce back to work and function normally three days after losing someone close to them.
Share your step-grandparent bereavement leave journey with us! How did you navigate that challenging moment? What support did your employer provide? Your insights can make a difference.
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