Compassionate leave

Sadly, many of us will need to take compassionate leave at some point. Typically compassionate leave covers things like bereavement, or the sudden illness of close relatives and friends. But we understand that loss can manifest itself in other forms which can affect your wellbeing.

This guidance aims to give some consistency to line managers while also allowing reasonable flexibility to reflect different circumstances.

If you need to take compassionate leave, please let your line manager know, so they can help support you in the right way. Your line manager will let the People team know, and your Delivery Lead if you are on a client project. If your line manager is unavailable please contact the People team. 

In the first instance, line managers can allow up to 3 days of paid compassionate leave. They should talk to the People team and their director if they think further paid leave may be appropriate in the circumstances. 3 days of paid leave is in no way a limit. It is a starting point, and we will always aim to support each individual circumstance as much as we can while also aiming to have a consistent approach.

There is also the option for additional time off to be taken using holiday, personal leave or unpaid leave. This should be agreed between the line manager and director, in consultation with the People team. We can also provide support for people returning to work in line with our existing policies and procedures.

To record compassionate leave in BreatheHR, choose ‘Other’ as the type of Leave, and choose ‘Compassionate’ from the drop down menu.

Parental bereavement leave

Parental bereavement leave is a statutory entitlement of 2 weeks following:

• the death of a child, if they are under the age of 18
• the death of a baby who only lives for a short time after birth – this can be at any stage of pregnancy
• a child who is stillborn after 24 weeks’ pregnancy

• An abortion after 24 weeks - this can happen in limited circumstances if the mother’s life is at risk or the child would be born with a severe disability

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Pregnancy loss before 24 weeks is covered within our personal leave guidance.

You can find out more about parental bereavement leave and pay on the ACAS website.

Last updated: 26 June 2026