No one wants to think about their loved ones or themselves passing away. But with everyone experiencing grief one time or another in their lives, the importance of normalising these conversations is essential. 

MetLife UK’s Last Word report found: 

• More than one in three (36%) UK adults experienced a bereavement in the last two years 

• During the emotionally difficult time, two in five (39%) leaned on their partner or spouse to process their grief. And a quarter (23%) turned to friends and neighbours 

• Yet, worryingly, one in four (23%) grieved alone 

• One in seven (15%) employees said they were offered no support from their employers following a loss of a loved one

• One in ten (10%) were only given unpaid time off to grieve, while 11% were given minimal support – only up to three days off work 

• Nearly a third (32%) said they would value paid time off when dealing with a bereavement.

Adrian Matthews, Head of Employee Benefits at MetLife UK comments: “The passing of a loved one can be deeply distressing, and while it’s something everyone will experience at some stage in their lives, it’s still a subject many find difficult to talk about. Dying Matters Week aims to raise awareness on how people can have conversations about death and talk about loved ones who are no longer around. But dealing with grief can take any length of time and feel very isolating for individuals going through a bereavement, so it’s important that employers ensure they support their employees all year round. What is evident from our research is that employees most value time to grieve without the additional worry of work. Having the right services and resources in place that give people emotional and practical support, whether in or out of the workplace, can make all the difference in employees feeling well supported. 

“At MetLife, we feel passionately that individuals should have access to practical and emotional support to help them at their time of need, for as long as they need it. Through our Group Life offering, we offer 1.4 million UK employees covered by MetLife access to our Funeral Concierge Services. This gives them support in considering, planning, navigating, and carrying out funeral planning, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It also includes a free will-writing service. We also offer grief counselling where our trained experts are on hand to support employees, as well as their family members should they need more support.

“Alleviating some of that emotional toll when dealing with loss by helping with the practical, allows people more time to grieve.”