Foundation Finds Gaps in Support for the Bereaved
Some U.S. workers are not sure how their employers handle bereavement.
The New York Life Foundation says many employers could do more to help workers affected by the loss of loved ones.
Only 49% of employed U.S. adults surveyed earlier this year who were affected by the loss of a loved one said their employers took active steps to tell them about bereavement leave policies, and 19% said their companies and colleagues did nothing at all to support them, according to a compilation of the survey results.
About 21% of the survey participants who used bereavement leave reported being dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the employers’ bereavement leave policies.
The New York Life Foundation talks about bereavement support gaps in a summary of results from one poll conducted in August and a second poll conducted in October.
The samples in both polls included about 4,400 U.S. adults.
The foundation began a major effort to back support programs for grieving children in 2011. In recent years, it has added efforts to help employers support grieving workers.
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