Support an employee after a bereavement beyond the leave paperwork

This guide covers everyday communication and practical support. Leave eligibility, pay, evidence requirements and changes to employment conditions need their own checks. It does not offer counselling or prescribe a recovery plan.

Keep the first response simple

You could say, “I’m sorry to hear that. Would you prefer a short call, a message, or for us to arrange the work cover now and talk later?” Let the employee choose how much to share. You do not need the circumstances of the death to offer condolences or organise immediate cover.

Avoid comparisons with your own experience unless the person invites them. Phrases such as “at least…” or “you need to keep busy” can put pressure on someone to respond in a particular way. If you do not know what to say, acknowledge that and ask what would help with work today.

Comcare’s Supporting your team recommends listening, discussing practical support and agreeing follow-up. Its management suggestions can help frame a conversation; they are not a statement of every employer’s state or territory obligations.

Agree how contact and team messages will work

Ask who should be the main contact so the employee does not receive the same question from several people. Confirm whether a message is welcome and whether they would prefer to initiate the next conversation. Do not assume silence means they are ready to return or that frequent check-ins are helpful.

Choice to discuss	Fictional agreement
Contact preference	One nominated manager sends a practical message at the agreed time.
Information sharing	Employee chooses a short team message saying they are away; no personal explanation.
Immediate work	Owner reallocates the open customer request without asking for a full handover during the first call.
Practical support	Discuss a quieter first task on return, subject to any required employment or safety checks.
Next conversation	Ask when another check-in would be useful; do not set a grief recovery deadline.

Original ASBG worksheet using fictional records. The labelled rows provide the text equivalent. Keep the assumptions and sources with a printed copy.

Confirm the wording before sharing a personal message with colleagues. Operational cover can usually be organised by saying who will handle a job. Keep any sensitive details out of shared job notes. If information must be handled for another process, explain that separately and obtain advice where needed.

Handle leave questions separately

Use the Fair Work Ombudsman’s Compassionate and bereavement leave for the current rules, including notice and evidence. Check the employment arrangement and applicable jurisdiction with payroll or an adviser. The leave guide provides broader context, but this conversation worksheet does not decide an entitlement.

Handle any necessary administrative request through the appropriate person and explain what is needed. Keep personal discussions private when arranging practical support. Also avoid assuming that the end of a leave period means the person’s grief has ended.

Offer choices about the working day

Before the employee returns, ask whether there is anything about the first day that would help: a quieter catch-up, a clear list of priorities or help with a particular customer commitment. They may prefer familiar work and ordinary conversation. Ask rather than announcing a special arrangement to the team.

Where a proposal affects duties, hours, pay or safety, get the relevant checks before promising it. If a disability-related adjustment question arises, the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Disability discrimination and the workplace is a starting point for appropriate advice, not a reason to make assumptions about the employee.

Check in without measuring grief

Ask about the work: “Is the cover arrangement helping, or should we change it?” Let the person decide what personal detail to discuss. Do not grade progress by whether they seem cheerful or compare them with someone else’s response to loss.

Offer information about support that is actually available, such as an existing employee assistance service, without claiming the business provides one if it does not. For work planning, the priority worksheet helps keep commitments manageable. The team management hub links other practical support tasks.

Key takeaways

• Ask about contact and information-sharing preferences.
• Organise practical cover and check leave administration separately.
• Review the working arrangements with the employee, without imposing a grief timeline.

BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT CONVERSATION
Preferred contact person / channel / timing:
What the employee wants colleagues told (if anything):
Immediate work to cover / owner:
Practical support options discussed:
Any employment, leave or safety questions referred for checking:
Agreed next check-in, if wanted:
What should change / what should stay the same:
Keep personal details out of shared task notes.

Sources checked 24 September 2026. Check the assumptions before using these notes.
Supporting your team: https://www.comcare.gov.au/safe-healthy-work/healthy-workplace/work-design/better-practice-guides/supporting-your-team
Compassionate and bereavement leave: https://www.fairwork.gov.au/leave/compassionate-and-bereavement-leave
Disability discrimination and the workplace: https://humanrights.gov.au/know-your-rights/rights-of-individuals/disability-rights/disability-discrimination-and-the-workplace

Where to get help

• Supporting your team
• Compassionate and bereavement leave
• Disability discrimination and the workplace