How many days employees can take bereavement leave due to the deaths of their direct family members?

Hi Everyone, Happy Tuesday!!!!!

Could you please let me know how many days employees can take bereavement leave due to the deaths of their direct family members? Is there any law on which particular days can be availed?

Thank you in advance.

Dear Pandarinath,

Indian culture is highly family-oriented. Though the nuclearisation of the families is happening, the family orientation has not diminished. Against this backdrop, a few companies, as a welfare have started granting bereavement leave to their employee. However, bereavement leave is purely a welfare measure and there is no statutory obligation to grant such leave. Therefore, what should be the quota of bereavement leave is a call the company administration has to take. The number of days of this leave would depend on the number of employees on roll of the company, estimated productivity loss, etc.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Thank you for the clarification, sir. There would be no particular law for bereavement leave in India.

Most of the companies are giving 2 days, 3 days, or 5 days. As per Hindu ritual, what would be the best days off??

Once again, thank you, sir.

Hi,

It depends on the Employer and there is no statutory requirement.

It can be 3 to 7 days range. Any leave availed over and above , if approved by the Employer, can be adjusted against leave balance of the employee.

Hi, There is no statutory implication on the company to grant any paid leave. On humanitarian ground the management can take a call. If any signed agreement between the workmen and the management, and it talks about bereavement leave, then the management needs to stick to it as committed.

Dear Pandarinath,
There is no such obligation of leave for the cause of death of family members under the law as of now.
In general employee avails the required days of leave that are on his/her account, in absence of leave causes LOP.
Maximum of 11 days are required to finishing up the last rites of the dead father by the elder son, ad per our norms and tradition.
It is not a feasible or viable option for any company to do such a welfare by not compromising with statutory leaves, is a bitter truth.
There is nothing wrong to start but to carry forward further would create problems, if not having proper policy at place and definition of family & direct family members should be pictured out. In nut shell a company may come out with a policy to consider 1-3 paid leaves under special consideration during the calendar year.

If you are looking for the Hindu rituals, the person is not supposed to go back to work for 13 days.
But the option of how many days to give is basically with the employer. There is no law on this

No Act or rule in India provides Bereavement leave. Employer is not dutybound to give any leave.

In our organization employees are mis utilizing the bereavement leave policy as because we cannot ask for any proof for demise of immediate family members. We do have a drop down with relationships in the application. But still people are applying the leave for demise of any family members by choosing the immediate relationship from the dropdown. We wanted to know the best practices the organizations are following here.