Employees to gain new bereavement and pregnancy loss leave rights from April 2027

“This is an important step in recognising pregnancy loss as a bereavement and the profound impact it can have, and we hope will provide a baseline for employers to go further.

“We still strongly believe bereavement leave should be paid, and we will continue to press for this through our Leave for Every Loss campaign.”

Matthew Percival, future of work and skills director at the CBI:

“Bringing forward a day one right to bereavement leave recognises the importance of giving employees time and space during some of life’s most difficult moments.

“Many employers already provide compassionate leave in these circumstances, and businesses look forward to engaging with government, unions and other stakeholders to ensure the detail and accompanying guidance work effectively in practice.”

Andrew Moore, senior HR consultant at WorkNest:

“Many employers already have compassionate or bereavement leave policies that go beyond the current statutory position.

“The Government’s announcement, however, will introduce a clearer statutory framework and give employees greater reassurance that they will have protected time away from work during some of life’s most difficult circumstances.

“For employers, compliance is only part of the story. How an organisation responds when an employee is experiencing bereavement can have a lasting impact on trust, engagement and the overall employment relationship.

“Now is therefore a good opportunity for businesses to review their compassionate and bereavement leave policies, consider how existing provisions align with the announced changes, and ensure managers feel confident handling these sensitive situations consistently and compassionately.

“Good HR practice is not simply about meeting the minimum legal requirement. It is about how those policies translate into the employee experience when people need support most.”

Sharokh Koussari, employment law partner at Spencer West LLP:

“Employers should review their bereavement and compassionate leave policies in advance of April 2027. The task is not complicated, but there are traps for the unwary.

“Policies will need to identify who qualifies, how much leave is available and, importantly, reflect the fact that leave can be taken flexibly within the 56-week window rather than in a single block. HR systems will need to cope with that flexibility.

Employers who already offer more generous compassionate and bereavement leave should resist the temptation to rewrite everything.

“The better approach is to preserve the existing benefits while making clear how they interact with the statutory scheme, avoiding accidental duplication or the creation of new contractual rights.

Evidence is another area where restraint is sensible. Employers should not turn a bereavement policy into an exercise in proving that a death or loss occurred. Notification procedures should be straightforward and proportionate.

Managers will nevertheless need training. They are likely to be the first people confronted with difficult cases, and inconsistent decisions can quickly create problems.

“Policies should accurately reflect the statutory protections attached to the new right, without embellishing them with unnecessarily broad promises.

“The aim should be to: comply with the new law, treat employees sensitively, and avoid creating obligations Parliament did not require.”