Supporting Employees Through Baby Loss

Why Compassion in the Workplace Matters

Every October, Baby Loss Awareness Week brings people together across the UK to remember, reflect, and raise awareness of an experience that touches far more lives than many realise.

Around one in four pregnancies ends in loss. Behind every statistic are people, colleagues, friends, and families, navigating grief, recovery, and too often, silence.

When baby loss happens, work can be both a source of comfort and an added strain. The way an organisation responds in those moments will stay with someone for the rest of their life. A simple act of compassion, a well-timed check-in, or a period of understanding leave can make an enormous difference.

At Cornerstone Resources HR Consultancy, we believe that supporting people through difficult times is not an optional extra. It is what good employers do. This Baby Loss Awareness Week, we are encouraging businesses to take a fresh look at how they can respond with empathy, clarity, and care when someone experiences baby loss.

Why Baby Loss Is a Workplace Issue

Baby loss is deeply personal, but it inevitably affects professional life too.

The physical and emotional impact can be significant. Employees may need time for medical recovery, rest, or counselling. They may struggle to focus, find it difficult to face colleagues, or experience anxiety about returning to work.

And it is not only mothers. All parents, partners, fathers, same-sex parents, and those who have conceived through IVF can experience profound loss. The grief is shared, even if the physical experience is not.

For an employee facing this situation, silence or uncertainty from their employer can make an already painful time harder. But when employers respond with compassion and flexibility, it builds trust, loyalty, and a culture that people remember for the right reasons.

Learning from Baby Loss Awareness Week

The Baby Loss Awareness campaign reminds us that loss should not be hidden or minimised. Its message, break the silence, is something every organisation can learn from.

Three key lessons stand out:

Acknowledgement matters. Saying “we’re sorry for your loss” or “we’re here for you” can be powerful. It validates grief and lets someone know they are seen.
Connection helps. Grief can feel isolating. When colleagues and managers reach out appropriately, it helps people feel less alone.
Consistency counts. Awareness should not last one week a year. Support must be built into policies and culture all year round.

The Legal Landscape

It can feel difficult to think about rights and entitlements when the topic itself is so sensitive, but clear policies give people reassurance at a time when they most need stability and understanding.

Current Rights (2025)

Parental Bereavement Leave (Jack’s Law):
Employees who lose a child under 18 or experience a stillbirth after 24 weeks are entitled to two weeks’ statutory leave. It can be taken in one block or as two separate weeks, any time within 56 weeks of the loss.
Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay may also apply if eligibility criteria are met.
Pregnancy loss before 24 weeks:
There is currently no specific statutory entitlement to baby loss leave for miscarriages or pregnancy loss before 24 weeks. Employees can take sickness absence, which must be recorded as pregnancy-related, or use annual or compassionate leave.
Pregnancy-related sickness must not count towards absence triggers under any policy.

What Is Changing

The Employment Rights Bill, currently progressing through Parliament, will extend bereavement rights to those who experience pregnancy loss before 24 weeks.

Under the current proposal:

Both parents will be entitled to one week of unpaid leave.
The definition will include miscarriage, medical termination, and IVF implantation failure.
The change is expected to take effect around 2027.

It is an important and long-overdue recognition that all baby loss deserves compassion, not just loss after 24 weeks. But employers do not need to wait for legislation to act.

Why It Is Time to Go Beyond Compliance

For many organisations, the minimum legal requirements are just a starting point. Real support comes from culture, from the tone set by leaders and the empathy shown by colleagues.

Here is why it is worth acting now:

You will bridge the gap. Employees who experience early pregnancy loss deserve the same care as those covered by later-stage entitlements.
You will build trust. People never forget how they were treated during their hardest times.
You will protect wellbeing. Compassionate support can reduce long-term stress and absence.
You will show your values in action. Policies mean little unless they reflect how you treat people when it matters most.

Practical Ways to Support Employees

1. Review and Update Your Policies

Take time to ensure your compassionate leave or bereavement policy explicitly covers pregnancy loss at any stage.

Be inclusive. Recognise that baby loss affects all parents and partners, not just the person who was pregnant. Use warm, clear language that removes uncertainty.

Example wording:

“We recognise that baby loss, at any stage, is a deeply personal and challenging experience. We are committed to supporting all employees, including partners, with compassion, respect, and flexibility. Every situation is different, and we will work closely with each individual to provide the time and support they need.”

Even a small addition like this can make someone feel seen and supported.

2. Equip Your Managers

Managers are often the first people an employee will speak to. It can be daunting, but a calm and caring approach makes all the difference.

Provide guidance and training to help managers:

listen without judgement
respond with empathy (“I am so sorry for your loss” is often all that is needed)
understand what leave and support options are available
maintain appropriate confidentiality

Give them the confidence to lead with care rather than policy alone.

3. Offer Flexibility and Space

Grief does not work to a timetable. Some people may want to return quickly; others need more time.

Offer phased returns where possible.
Allow temporary changes to duties or hours.
Give space for medical appointments or counselling sessions.
Make it clear that flexibility will be handled sensitively and without judgement.

A flexible, humane approach supports recovery and strengthens trust.

4. Communicate Thoughtfully

Language matters. The wrong phrase can cause pain, but simple kindness can bring comfort.

Ask how and when the employee would like to be contacted.
Check how much information they would like shared with others.
Be aware of potential triggers, such as pregnancy announcements or baby-related events.
Avoid pressure to “move on” or “get back to normal.”

Your tone can be gentle and respectful without overstepping personal boundaries.

5. Remember the Partner

Partners often experience their own grief but can be overlooked in workplace discussions.

Make sure your policy applies equally to them. Offer time off, counselling access, and flexibility. Recognise that grief is shared, and every parent deserves support.

6. Signpost External Help

You do not have to have all the answers, but you can point people to those who do.

Trusted organisations include:

Sands – Stillbirth and neonatal death charity
The Miscarriage Association
Tommy’s
Baby Loss Awareness

If your organisation offers an Employee Assistance Programme, remind employees how to access it confidentially.

7. Build a Culture That Cares

Policies help, but culture defines how people feel.

Acknowledge Baby Loss Awareness Week in internal communications.
Encourage open but respectful dialogue about loss and wellbeing.
Ensure language in communications and policies is inclusive and empathetic.
Train leaders to model compassion and emotional intelligence, not just compliance.

When care becomes part of the culture, support stops feeling like an exception and becomes the norm.

Overcoming the Common Worries

It is natural for employers to feel unsure about how far to go.

“What if people take advantage?” In reality, very few do. Compassionate leave is rarely abused, and goodwill far outweighs the risk.
“We are a small business, what if we cannot afford lots of paid leave?” Even unpaid leave, flexibility, and simple kindness go a long way.
“We do not want to intrude.” You do not need to ask for details. Just acknowledge the loss and ask how best to support them.

What matters most is intent, to show that you care, to listen, and to respond in a way that feels safe for the employee.

Taking Action This Baby Loss Awareness Week

If you only do one thing this week, take a moment to review how your organisation responds when life takes an unexpected turn.

Is there clear information available for managers and employees?
Would people know where to turn if they experienced a loss tomorrow?
Do your policies and your culture truly reflect your values?

Small steps, such as revising a policy, providing training, or acknowledging the week in your internal communications, can have a big impact.

A Final Word

Baby loss changes lives in ways words cannot capture. As employers, we cannot take away that pain, but we can make sure no one faces it alone.

Compassion costs nothing, but it changes everything.

By listening, offering time, and responding with humanity, employers can create workplaces where people feel safe to be themselves, even in their most difficult moments.

This Baby Loss Awareness Week, let us choose to lead with empathy, speak with kindness, and remind every employee that they matter, not only for what they do, but for who they are.