Am I entitled to paid compassionate leave?

[Movingforward123]

I've been in my current job for 6 months. My grandad passed away and I had to go to the funeral. Am I entitled to paid compassionate leave? My boss said I could take it as holiday if I wanted to be paid.

But my work colleague said that I should be able to get paid compassionate leave. Very confused

[FireOverBabylon]

I think it's discretionary. We can take up to 3 days paid compassionate leave for immediate family members, but have to take annual / unpaid leave around that. Your employer should have a policy, which may stipulate how close a relative the person has to be for you to qualify for paid leave. It may be that your grandfather, unless he brought you up or something similar, may not be a close enough blood relative to get paid leave. For us, it would be immediate family / parents etc.

[Pancakeflipper]

We get the day for the funeral but if want other days off then it is annual leave.

[HeyHeySaturday]

Normal policy across companies I've worked for is one day paid for family (with up to a week for immediate family). Unpaid or holiday for other funerals.

Grandparent would normally be a day or two paid.

[flowery]

You're not legally entitled to any paid compassionate leave, no. Many companies have a policy of a day or two, so check your employers handbook or policies. Paid compassionate leave is often limited to immediate family though, ie parents, siblings, spouse, children.

[missingmumxox]

it is discresionary and oddly I didn't get compasionate leave at all as both my parents died over a weekend and I had leave booked already in advance which covered the funeral and arrangements ... my Mum always said I was spooky, and unlike sick when on annual leave compasionate isn't replacable, so I used my leave up...
I worked for the NHS so pretty tight rules.
My Grandad is still alive and was given 6 months max to live over a year ago, discaharged from hospital in Oct 12 to die with his family and is still with us, :) but I would demand compassionate if I wasn't on leave like my parents as he and my gran co parented with my mum and dad when I was a child, as in I spent the first 18 months of my life living with them and only going home on my parents days off together, so about once every 2 months, as my parents worked shifts and when only one was off they came to Gran and Grandads rather than home.
I spent every holiday I can remember at theirs, full time, as in Mum would drive us from the midlands to kent for the holiday and pick us up at the end.
on that note I did get compassionate from the NHS for my Grans funeral, but I worked the early fully after I had been phoned and told she had died at 10.30.