A quarter of workers do not take a day off to mourn following the death of a relative

One in four British workers do not take time off work following a family bereavement, a poll of 2,000 people claims. According to the survey from funeral service firm CPJ Field, a further 10 per cent took just one day off to grieve, with the remaining 65 per cent taking two or more days off following the death of a family member. However the survey also found that 98 percent respondents agree that people should take time off, suggesting that people are not doing the things they know they should in favour of returning to work. The most commonly cited reasons for this behaviour were that people were worried about their jobs or felt they had too much to do.

The poll found that 30 per cent of those quizzed said people should have a minimum of three weeks off work following the death of a partner or a child. A total of 40 per cent of those polled said they ‘felt pressured’ to conceal their grief when they returned to work.