Call made for workplace bereavement procedure

The Irish Hospice Foundation has called on employers to introduce procedures to deal with bereaved workers.

The foundation has arranged a series of seminars to advise companies on how to provide the best emotional and practical support to staff members affected by the death of a loved one.

It said up to 300,000 people were directly affected by death each year in Ireland.

Breffni McGuinness, the foundation's training officer, said: "There are some very good things happening in a number of companies and I think there's also room for improvement.

"People are not aware of what is involved and what can help and that's part of the reason why we're doing the seminars: to help people understand the grieving process and how that impacts on employees in the workplace.

"Once people know what the impact can be, then they can take steps."