Bereavement leave

Skulls

Just a quicky, my father-in-law died last month. I phoned work to let them know I would not be in for two days, this was over 24 hours before my next shift. (roughly 30 hours)

Company handbook states up to 5 days paid leave for a close family bereavement.

Just had the updated holiday list put on notice board and they have taken it as 2 days holiday. Had a slightly heated argument with the boss about it as he said I should have applied for bereavement payment, he though giving me 2 days holiday was doing me a favour! No mention of any special forms in 4 weeks, I've never seen these forms neither has anyone else.

At the end of the day I don't care about the money just the morality of what has been done. If when I went back to work he had said 'do you mind taking it as holiday' I would have said no. But 4 weeks later to tell me he's doing me a favour!

In 5 years I have had 3 sick days, maybe I should have phoned in sick.

scooby088

Probably the forms are unique to your employer, might be like an holiday form. Maybe it was a favour as wherever I have worked father in law wouldn't have counted for bereavement leave as it's not a close relative.

Valli

Did you specifically request to take bereavement leave when you notified them you would be absent?

skintandscared_2

I'm sorry for your loss. At our work, a close relative is either a parent or a child. Leave for any other relative would be taken as holiday, not compassionate leave.

katejo

Valli wrote: »

Did you specifically request to take bereavement leave when you notified them you would be absent?

Assuming that the OP gave her reason for needing the time off and made it clear that a close family member had died, that should be automatic . My place has rules about who counts as close family

olias

I agree, I wouldn't have thought that any employer would count an in-law as a close relative, however upsetting the death.

To my mind, close is parent, child, spouse, sibling.

I do agree, however, that the 'doing a favour' comment 4 weeks later isn't good.

To my mind, the boss should have said something like, 'I'm sorry for your loss, but unfortunately the companies rules (if that is the case) are that bereavement leave is not able to be taken in cases of the death of an in-law, and so it will have to be taken from your annual leave entitlement.'

All in all, should have been handled better by the boss IMO.

Olias

Skulls

Thanks for the replies so far, so much comfort in people trying to help.
My daughter is only 11 so her Mum was with Nanny all the time and I had to sort out things for my daughter. My partner spent the first few days with her Mum to sort things out and I looked after my daughter totally. My daughter has spent every Friday night and every other Saturday night with her grandparents since she was 3 months, so she was very close to her granddad. So maybe I should have just phoned in sick due to having to look after my daughter?

lazer

In the places I have worked in laws always count as close relatives

spouse,Parents, child, sibling, step parents, step sibling and in-laws

We would get 3 days paid leave for the death of a close relative and 1 days paid leave for the death of a gradnparent, aunt, uncle or godparent.

i am amazed that people don't consider and in-law a close relative.

Bobl

Skulls wrote: »

So maybe I should have just phoned in sick due to having to look after my daughter?

But you were not sick and nor was your daughter - seems like the company treated you pretty fairly but you want to pull a fast one on them. Forget it, life is too short!

Takeaway_Addict

lazer wrote: »

In the places I have worked in laws always count as close relatives

spouse,Parents, child, sibling, step parents, step sibling and in-laws

We would get 3 days paid leave for the death of a close relative and 1 days paid leave for the death of a gradnparent, aunt, uncle or godparent.

i am amazed that people don't consider and in-law a close relative.

I don't particularly, some people are close some are not so and the saying of blood is thicker than water holds true more often than not.

Skulls

Bobl wrote: »

But you were not sick and nor was your daughter - seems like the company treated you pretty fairly but you want to pull a fast one on them. Forget it, life is too short!

Someone would have to look after my daughter as she is so young and the days in question were a Saturday and Sunday. I'm not worried about losing the money or the holiday time just that in 5 years I've taken 3 days sick compared to some that seem to take at least one sicky a month always before their weekly 2 days off and always get paid for it. If you have no childcare what would you call this?

I'm not trying to get a freeby, if I was told as soon as pos that F-I-L does not count no prob.