Grief and Work
Bereavement leave, returning, and coping at your desk.
For many people, the workplace is the first place grief collides with "normal life." Two days of compassionate leave is rarely enough. Here is what you're entitled to and how to navigate the return.
Your legal entitlements
- Full-time/part-time — 2 days paid compassionate leave per occasion (Fair Work Act)
- Casual — 2 days unpaid compassionate leave
- Many enterprise agreements offer more — check yours
- You can also use annual leave, personal leave, or long service leave
- Some employers offer additional bereavement leave — ask HR
Fair Work Ombudsman
Check your specific entitlements
Returning to work
- Ask for a phased return — half days, reduced hours, work from home
- Tell one trusted colleague what you need (space, or company, or normality)
- Grief waves at work are common — if it helps, have somewhere private you can step into
- It is okay to cry at your desk. It is also okay to be fine at work and fall apart at home.
- Brain fog is real — if it helps, lower your expectations for the first month
If it's your employee who's grieving
Be human. Offer more leave than the minimum if you can. Check in — not once, but over weeks and months. Instead of "let me know if you need anything," try something specific: "I've cleared your diary for Monday." Grief doesn't end when bereavement leave does.
See all 64 guides in Grief & healing →
From bluetulipco.com/library/grief/workplace-grief — printed 1 October 2026.
General information only — not a substitute for legal, medical, financial, or therapeutic advice. Read the full disclaimer.
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