Compassionate leave

If you need to take compassionate leave, let your line manager and a member of the People team know, so we can support you in the right way. If you are on a project, we can then work with your delivery lead to manage the impact on the team.

Compassionate leave is likely to affect many of us at some time or other, in many different ways. 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 policy aims to set some guidance for line managers while also allowing reasonable flexibility to reflect different circumstances.

In the first instance, line managers can allow up to 3 days of paid compassionate leave. They should consult their Director for approval if they think further paid leave may be appropriate in the circumstances.

Our automatic parental bereavement entitlement is 2 weeks of paid leave, as set out by ACAS.

There is the option for additional time off to be taken using annual 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.

To record compassionate leave in BreatheHR, choose Other as the Type of Leave, and choose Compassionate as the Reason.

Last updated: 9 May 2023 (history)