Give more consideration for mourning employees, union says

Employees who recently lost a loved one deserve more time to mourn their loss, according to trade union CNV. The union wants mourning employees to get two weeks' of flexible leave to process their loss, ANP reports.

CNV argued that due to excess mortality rates caused by the coronavirus, many people are losing friends and family close to them more often than would normally be the case.

“Additionally, millions of people in the Netherlands are already working at home alone without contact with their colleagues and leaders. Those that are required to be physically present have to keep distance to each other. Mourning employees are therefore struggling even more”, president of the CNV, Piet Fortuin says in a press statement.

According to a study conducted by the CNV, one out of ten employees suffer a burn-out after losing someone dear to them. The results of the study also showed that half of all mourning employees believe current regulations do not sufficiently support workers when they lose a loved one.

The CNV proposed a period of two weeks where employees can go on flexible mourning leave. The union also appealed to all managers, team leaders and employers to pay extra attention to the needs of their employees when they are mourning.