Facebook employees will soon be able to take some more time off to grieve and recover thanks to the company increasing the bereavement leave offered.
Employees of Facebook will have 20 days of paid bereavement leave going forward, as opposed to the previous 10 days.
The new policy was announced by the company's COO Sheryl Sandberg via a Facebook post.
"We're extending bereavement leave to give our employees more time to grieve and recover and will now provide paid family leave so they can care for sick family members as well. Only 60 percent of private sector workers in the United States get paid time off after the death of a loved one and usually just a few days," noted Sandberg on Tuesday, Feb. 7.
The Facebook policy comes into effect immediately.
Facebook Bereavement Policy
The new policy not only doubles the paid leaves for a bereavement of an immediate family member, but also offers 10 days for an extended member. Moreover, Facebook will be offering nearly six weeks of paid leave so that the employee can care for a relative who is unwell.
The company has not only altered its bereavement leave policy, but is also introducing paid family sick time. This will give Facebook employees three days so that the can attend to a family member who has a short-term ailments, for example a child suffering from flu.
What Helped The Policy Change
Sandberg shared that her own experience assisted in the framing of the employee benefit. She had to balance both the professional and personal sphere after the demise of her husband David in 2015. The Facebook COO was able to manage raising two young children thanks to Facebook's flexible policies.
"Amid the nightmare of Dave's death when my kids needed me more than ever, I was grateful everyday to work for a company that provides me with both bereavement leave and flexibility I needed both to start my recovery," Sandberg wrote.
She added that she knew how rare such flexibility was in the corporate world, but it should not be so. Everyone needed sufficient time to recoup from the emotional setback the bereavement of a loved one brings.
Sandberg also called for more public policies that would simplify things for people, so that they can tend to their family better, as well as heal after a loss. Such a move would go a long way in making the American economy stronger.
The Facebook COO is hopeful that more companies would follow suit and create similar policies that were employee oriented.
