When an employee suffers a loss, thinking about going back to work can cause worry, so it’s important that employers have a compassionate leave policy in place to allow time to grieve. That said – do you know how much compassionate leave different industries offer? According to a new study, more than a quarter (27.3%) of workers don’t know what their workplace compassionate leave policy is!
The study conducted by The Compensation Experts polled 1,500 workers across different occupations to determine the best and worst industries for compassionate leave, as well as uncovering their general perceptions of their workplace including whether they feel supported.
Healthcare, property and information, and communications are among some of the best industries for compassionate leave
| Rank | Industry | Number of days for compassionate leave (paid) |
| 1 | Healthcare | 5 |
| 2 | Property | 5 |
| 3 | Information and communication | 5 |
| 4 | Education | 5 |
| 5 | Data | 5 |
| 6 | Law | 5 |
Based on the average days of paid compassionate leave, healthcare, property, and information and communication are among the top six industries.
Delving further into the findings and workers’ perceptions of their industry, in healthcare over a quarter (78.4%) feel that their workplace is compassionate, 77% feel supported by their employer, and nearly half (49.5%) feel comfortable asking for time off.
In the property sector, however, just under a third (28.6%) feel comfortable asking their employer for leave. However, a large majority still feel that their place of work is compassionate (71.4%). Interestingly, it’s employees in the data industry that feel the most supported out of all workers and industries, with over four-fifths (85.1%) expressing they feel fully supported, always.
Tourism, agriculture, and creative arts are among the worst industries for compassionate leave
| Rank | Industry | Number of Days for compassionate leave (paid) |
| 1 | Tourism | 2 |
| 2 | Agriculture | 2 |
| 3 | Creative arts | 3 |
| 4 | Retail | 3 |
| 5 | Finance and banking | 3 |
On the contrary, industries such as tourism and agriculture are among the worst for compassionate leave, only offering two full days, paid. Looking at the two sectors, however, it seems tourism workers still feel supported by their employer (90%) compared to agriculture (54%).
Just under two-fifths of workers in the creative arts sector (38.1%) feel comfortable telling their employer they need time off. And in retail, employers not only just offer three days’ leave, but only 69.3% of workers in the sector feel that their workplace is compassionate, which is the lowest amongst all polled.
Comparing the different responses amongst the different industries you can see clear variations between occupations and the employees’ perception. Yet looking at the responses overall, almost half (46.6%) of workers would not feel comfortable asking their employer for time off, and more than a quarter (27.3%) are still unsure of their compassionate leave policy. Not only that, but nearly half (49%) also expressed that they sometimes feel isolated at work.
Commenting on the study, a spokesperson at The Compensation Experts says: “Sadly, many workers will suffer the loss of a loved one at some point in their life, so it is important for employers to support their workers and make them feel understood.
“A company’s compassionate leave policy should allow the employees an adequate time to grief, this may be different from situation to situation, therefore it is vital that employees feel comfortable talking to their employer about their needs.”
To find out more about the study, please visit: https://the-compensation-experts.co.uk/news/compassionate-leave-industries/
