Zoe Ball....sorry for her loss but the general public don't receive 950K per year and get tiled to take an indefinite length of bereavement leave

[mids2019]

I have had a period of bereavement leave (2 weeks) after the death of my father. Given the nature of deadlines at work I had to send emails during that period.

Am I right to question Zoe Ball paid by the licence fee payers being told to take 'as much time as you want' on a vast salary?.Does this show a good between the celeb existence and that of us mere worker drones?

I feel like focusing on bereavement leave is a poor and shabby use of your outrage.

I'm sorry for your loss. It would've been better for you to have more time and space. Not for Zoe to have less.

You're right. Everyone should be treated compassionately after bereavement instead of being expected to rush back to work.

In my sector it is very much the norm to take 6 weeks+ for bereavement, you may have a shitty employer but the rest of us don’t. Why on earth shouldn’t she take all the time she needs. It doesn’t adversely impact you in anyway and it’s not a race to the bottom.

Everyone experiences grief differently and people have very different issues that can compound it. Previous addiction for example, people with that need to tread very carefully when there are potential triggers.

You're comparing apples and oranges though: I also only took 2 weeks when a parent died, but that was because returning to work meant wfh more often, sending more emails rather than meeting in person, being more low-profile in general for a few months until I felt able to put myself out there a bit.

Her entire job/professional persona is to be lively, chatty, cheerful and broadcast to what is likely to be mainly family demographics getting ready for school/work. She can't do that gradually so if she's not up to it, she has to give it more time.

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-68887559

it sounds like quite a complex bereavement, she should take the time off she needs.

Zoe balls bereavement leave isn’t even on my list of things the bbc shouldn’t spend money on or stuff I'm angry the bbc has spent money on.

I think everyone should have a good amount of bereavement leave though.

I am sorry but working in the NHS there is a two week bereavement leave policy and I know managers do have to enforce this as it becomes an inconsistent policy over the whole work force Yes there should be better bereavement leave but it does stick a little in people's throats when those that are I. High profile large salary jobs get a sympathy greater than the general public.

If course bereavement is horrible so maybe the problem is that double standards and the BBC.

OP don’t be a bitch … Have you read about the circumstances ?

Oh my gosh her story with her Mom is brutal!

She has had a rough life. I just read about her ex boyfriend commiting suicide as well.

I say give the woman whatever she needs.

Not sure why you are focusing on her specifically?

Policies should be changed but her circumstances don't seem like the problem.

Zoe also lost a partner due to suicide. She's been through a lot, and in the public eye.

You’re being ridiculous.
I had 8 weeks off when my father died, and 4 weeks when my mother died. I returned to work when I felt able to do so. Once my bereavement pay stopped I just went straight onto sick pay. I did no work whilst off and only had a weekly check in phone call with a colleague of my choosing.

You’d prefer she wasn’t given it, forced to go back to work and then suffered mental health difficulties down the line? Just because you’re don’t get the same treatment as her?

I think it’s a pretty good example of the haves and the have nots. At my last job (min wage private company) someone’s mum died and they got statutory minimum and my boss whinged at that. They had to take unpaid leave when she was in the hospital beforehand. If they needed extra time off needed to be signed off by the doctor and would recieve ssp. Who can afford to live on that?

I’d agree that all employees need kindness and understanding at this difficult time. The reality is if you work for a public body they will be much more generous than private company. Also the higher your wages the more valued you are as an employee. I wonder if a cleaner who works in the same building would be told take as long as you need?

2 weeks automatic leave and then if the person needs more they can be signed off by their GP.

We don’t know where her head is at and it shouldn’t be used to weaponise the BBC at this time

Different organisations have different policies.
When my mum died I was told to take as long as I needed due to the circumstances. I eventually got a sick note so was technically off sick rather than on bereavement leave.

For you maybe 2 weeks was enough, I had 3 months before and almost 3 months after. My manger was supportive, phoned once a week to check in on me. Had occupational health involved who were helpful, said it was normal grief at that stage and a phased return was organised

nothing to do with anyone else

Bereavement leave is different for everyone & some companies offer better terms & conditions than others.

It is hard when family members die.

It's been far more peaceful in the mornings on Radio 2 recently - which I like.

How do you know it's just bereavement, and she's not now signed off sick with stress/ anxiety/ depression? Or doing other work that doesn't involve live radio? How do you know she's receiving full pay and isn't on unpaid leave?

How soon after your dad died, do you think you were in a suitable state to speak and entertain 10 million people (or whatever it is) for 3-4 hours at a time, 5 days a week?
And do you think it's in the best interests of her employer to put someone in a fragile state, in a position where she might inadvertently upset millions of people, and they end up either switching over or writing in complaints, making the news?

Maybe she's on sick leave now with all the stress from what has happened. None of us know, I can't get upset or angry over anyone who is grieving/stressed etc.....

It sounds like she's currently off for mental health reasons rather than on "bereavement leave" per se.

I believe in the NHS you get paid sickness absence so I don't really see what the inconsistency is?

This seems a strange thing to be so angry about - Zoe's leave.

I've knows a few people to take longer than the work official policy by taking sick leave if they haven't been ready to return to work.

Grief is such an individual thing. It just wouldn't be on my radar to criticise anyone for the length of time away from work.

You have no idea what's going on in her life right now.

Wow you got two weeks? My companies policy is three days! So that’s all I took. Anything extra would’ve had to be sick pay.