My boss took a week off when her dog died and no one batted an eye.

My job gave me two weeks paid leave when my brother died—I “went back to work” after a week and a half but spent a lot of time crying in a non-billable way. My spouse’s job gave him two weeks paid “parental leave” when I lost a second trimester pregnancy and spent a week in the hospital and needed care the week after. I think one of the best things employers can do is be generous with leave, and I feel so grateful that my husband and I have worked for a variety of employers who saw employees as people.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The OP never came back. Maybe she really meant that it seemed oddly short.

+1! Why is everyone assuming OP thinks it’s too long?

People are assuming this because a week is not extraordinarily abnormal for a sibling. For many, a week would be sufficient time. More than a week can also be reasonable.

If OP had said the person was taking a week off for a child and isn’t that abnormal, we would have assumed she meant a week wasn’t long enough, bc it wouldn’t be enough for most people.

Anonymous wrote:I think it depends. I lost a sibling in a horrific way when we were young (but working). They didn't die right away and then we had to wait for body to be released, and it was a flight away for me. I was a wreck and could not have worked. If it's for someone in their 60s who has been sick then kind of a bit much.

Sorry for your loss, but people can grieve their siblings, even siblings in their 60s who were sick.

Anonymous wrote:The OP never came back. Maybe she really meant that it seemed oddly short.

+1! Why is everyone assuming OP thinks its too long?

Anonymous wrote:I am in my mid-40s. The sibling deaths I know of among my colleagues and peers were particularly tragic - freak accidents, drug overdose, suicide, sudden heart attack. These unexpected deaths may have extra complications - no will, young children or teens left without a parent, elderly parents of the deceased struggling to cope, spouse of the deceased in shock.

A week off doesn't surprise me at all.

It’s too short! My parents would be paralyzed with grief and I would be so upset. Helping with all the arrangements would take 2 weeks to a month. One week is cruel. The only appropriate response is “I’m so sorry. Take the time you need.”

Anonymous wrote:I'd say yes, it's excessive.

I know, right! Two days max if it were their own kid. Everyone else get an afternoon for the funeral. And if there travel they cannot go without losing their job - even if it’s their parents.

No compassion- go USA!

It's about practical considerations. Whoever the deceased was in relation to the employee and however expected the death, the legwork to organize a funeral can be a giant hassle that can take a long time, especially if the deceased needs to be transported a long way away to their hometown for a burial (in which case there are two funeral homes to deal with), or there are other complications.

So if the person asking for leave is the person who is responsible for organizing the most stuff, a week is tight. If the person just has to attend a funeral organized by others, then they only need the travel and attendance time, and a week is a lot.

The problem faced by workplaces is that rules aren't customized, so if the closest manager, who can waive requirements or look the other way, isn't a person with maturity and life experience, they can enforce the rule in a way that creates additional stress in situations that are already emotionally difficult.

Anonymous wrote:I think it depends. I lost a sibling in a horrific way when we were young (but working). They didn't die right away and then we had to wait for body to be released, and it was a flight away for me. I was a wreck and could not have worked. If it's for someone in their 60s who has been sick then kind of a bit much.

You have no idea how someone else will handle a loss. A week is very reasonable at any age.

I think it depends. I lost a sibling in a horrific way when we were young (but working). They didn't die right away and then we had to wait for body to be released, and it was a flight away for me. I was a wreck and could not have worked. If it's for someone in their 60s who has been sick then kind of a bit much.

Why do you care?

IME 3-4 days of bereavement or funeral leave was what was offered. Even where there was a union contract that was the standard. (And you had to show a funeral program but that’s a different issue). In some cases you could tack on annual leave but that wasn’t permitted under certain of the union contracts because annual leave had to be requested in advance.

As someone who lost a sibling and had to assist with funeral arrangements and other things, I can say that losing a sibling is really hard.

So people might think it’s normal but I worked for major employers with more than 10,000 employees my entire career and that’s not what I saw.

If the OP truly meant what was posted, please use this as an example of a toxic working environment.

OP left.

Likely troll post.

OP, abnormal how?