Week off for workers if distant relatives die, Labour's flagship workers' rights bill says
Ministers have not yet decided which relatives would be covered under the rules and have published a list of options
Workers will be entitled to a week off if a distant relative dies under new proposals being considered by the Government.
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The plans, under Labour's new workers' rights bill, could give employees the right for the time off to mourn the loss of in-laws, cousins, uncles and nieces and nephews.
A death within an employee's "chosen family," which is defined as "close friends and relationships that are not related but take the place of a traditional family," would also qualify them for unpaid time off, according to the Telegraph.
The expansion of bereavement leave, which is currently only mandatory for the death of a child under 18, is one of several measures planned under the Employment Rights Bill.
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The proposals state that all workers, from day one of their employment, will be able to claim a week of unpaid bereavement leave, which they can take at any time up to 56 days from the person's death.
Ministers have not decided which relatives would be covered under the rules and has published a list of options in a consultation document.
The most restricted option includes just a person's immediate family, while a much broader definition includes extended family and even close friends.
Under one option being considered, the nature of the family relationship would not matter, and instead the eligibility for bereavement leave based on "the importance that person played in their life."
However, Joanna Marchong, head of external affairs at the Adam Smith Institute, said: "This proposal may look compassionate but it threatens to impose significant costs and administrative burdens on employers at a time when businesses can least afford it.
"Allowing virtually any personal relationship to trigger a statutory leave entitlement creates huge uncertainty for firms.
"Employers won't know when staff may walk out for leave, how long they’ll be gone, or what documentation they'll need to request, potentially disrupting operations and increasing the need for expensive temporary hiring or overtime."
It is understood the legislation will not extend to the death of a pet, though one option was "another type of relationship not listed above."
Alex Hall-Chen, policy adviser at the Institute of Director, said the proposals could add hidden costs for employers.
Mr Hall-Chen said: "It could be the case that workers only need to inform their employer on the day when taking bereavement leave, without a need to provide evidence, and that could happen multiple times a year.
"This would all be very hard for employers to plan for.
"It could be prohibitively expensive for employers to bring in people at short notice to cover those who take bereavement leave, and other parts of the bill, such as making zero-hours contracts much more difficult to offer, are set to make that worse.
"We fear the Government has not thought about how all these changes will interact as a whole.'
Tina McKenzie, of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: "Small firms already show a great deal of compassion when staff face difficult circumstances, and they often handle these situations with flexibility and understanding.
"Any new policy must strike the same balance, supporting people at their most vulnerable while reflecting the daily realities of running a small business."