The PERFORM Experience

Over 20% of sick days in the UK are attributed to mental health reasons. That number is widely cited, widely acknowledged…and widely ignored when it comes to the real causes behind it.

Because here is what the data rarely says out loud: a significant portion of those mental health absences are rooted in grief.

Not just bereavement leave after a death — though that matters enormously. But the grief that comes from divorce, from diagnosis, from redundancy, from a relationship ending, from becoming a carer overnight. The grief that walks into your workplace every morning and sits quietly at a desk, trying to function.

Grief does not leave at the door

Most businesses have a bereavement policy. Very few have a grief strategy.

The difference matters. A bereavement policy tells an employee how many days they can take off when someone dies (and not every organisation has this as a bare minimum). A grief strategy acknowledges that the impact of loss extends far beyond those days — that it affects concentration, motivation, relationships, decision-making and performance for months and sometimes years.

When organisations do not understand this, they lose good people. They see performance dip without understanding why. They handle difficult conversations badly and make already-struggling employees feel unseen.

What the research tells us

Positive psychology research is clear: people can and do grow through grief. Post-traumatic growth is real, evidenced and achievable. But it requires the right condition…and workplaces have the power to create those conditions or to undermine them entirely.

The organisations that get this right do not just retain their people. They build cultures where employees feel genuinely safe — and that safety drives performance far more effectively than any strategy day.

Where to start

You do not need to become a grief counsellor. You need a strategy.

That means understanding where your current mental health and wellbeing provision has gaps. It means knowing whether your managers are equipped to have these conversations. It means looking honestly at your bereavement policy and asking whether it is fit for purpose.

It starts with an audit…and that is exactly what we offer at The PERFORM Experience.

The TPE Mental Health Strategy Audit gives you a clear picture of where your business stands and what needs to change. At £497, it is the most practical investment you can make in your people this year.

Book your audit by emailing info@theperformexperiennce.com