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?

Nothing offered where I work currently and a max of 2 weeks ( with first 2 days unpaid) in a rolling year. It is terrible. I think hold your outrage.

The daily mail headlines are horrible. They are talking about the 'mystery' of her absence, even though we know she has lost her mother, and she is returning on Monday so only been off about 5 weeks.

OP- do you think earning a high salary means you should be exempt form grief or sickness? And how do we know she isn't taking unpaid leave?

that is literally a race to the bottom here. there shouldn't be a wow about what OP got, there should be a governmental and societal outrage about what you got and by saying wow oooh you're so lucky you're playing into it on the level of 'my ex pays 20 pounds a week in child support - wow count yourself lucky, I get a pound!' we should all be uniting for what is actually right instead of trying to outdo each other on how much more shitty it is for us.

You are choosing to sign a contract with the agreement of the terms of that contract. If you don't like the terms, don't sign it and look for a different role. Or negotiate something better.

I could sit here and complain I don't get the pension of someone who works in the NHS, I don't. Because I would have chosen that line of work if that was my priority.

I'm shocked that someone in the NHS has these views, I hope you aren't in a role that requires any kind of basic human compassion for other people.

I'm an employer and I've never had any other employer ask me about sick leave of an employee. And I wouldn't tell them if they did because that's confidential information.

do you realise that many people don't get to chose what they sign? they don't always have options. they take the job they can get. it's not a case of rejecting a contract or choosing not to work in a certain sector. Many people are just trying to survive.

if they do, it's changed in the last 15 years where I saw a colleague being bollocked by our manager about why she was so special that she thought she needed to take a day off for her mother when people died every day.

They haven't asked for anything different. They would have options if they used them.

I can count on one finger the number of employees who have asked us for changes to their employment contract. Yet there are plenty of changes we'd negotiate if asked.

Arguably it's a good thing for the BBC to be leading the way in this by showing understanding and compassion towards their employee. It might make leaders in other organisations more likely to do the same.

Well you got more than I did! I got 3 days and asked to come back because they were short staffed!

I'm finding the attacking of Zoe Ball at the moment a bit bizarre.
The DM is running half story after half story, what are they insinuating?
I think she, and anyone else, should take the time they need to grieve. End of.

I am surprised that the OP gets 2 weeks bereavement leave in the NHS. Where I worked in the NHS it ws 3 days maximum for closest family with one day for someone such as MIL. When my DH died I was signed off with stress and depression.

How much did they pay Huw Edwards when he was off air and before he was sacked? That's far more shocking then Zoe Ball having some time off for health reasons.

What would they have done if you were in another country or incapacitated? I’m so sorry that you lost your daughter, it’s heartbreakingly unimaginable but your husband didn’t have to go to work.

Yes, it should be given to everyone who needs it, so although it irks that someone so wealthy is given it when poor people are forced to work —and often end up with long term effects such as somatic trauma responses, stress-related illnesses or addiction (or, frequently, can't work and the knock-on effect means they lose their job and sometimes their home) — I think it's really good that this has been given so publicly, as it's hopefully a sign of shifting attitudes and can help lead the way by example.

Ex-NHS HR. The bereavement (special) leave is routinely followed by weeks/months of sick leave, even in non-traumatic bereavement cases.

Your crap manager 15 years ago has nothing to do with what I've written though does it. Do you get paid sick leave in the NHS or not?

Other people shouldn’t get less because you needed more. We should focus on levelling up for everyone, not taking from others. This attitude is a big problem in our country and why we move backwards in lots of areas.

Maybe you should do the right then and let them know they have options instead of knowing they are too fearful to ask for them. Also … it’s not just about what is going on with you… my comment was speaking on what’s going on across the board.

Zoe Ball may be taking unpaid leave given the length of time.

Has it even been confirmed that this is the only reason she’s off? For all we know she’s just been diagnosed with breast cancer or something.

The BBC is a joke, what does Zoe Ball do that is worth £950,000 a year?

I will be glad when it closes down.

I wasn't even allowed a day off to go to my BIL's funeral, I had run out of annual leave and asked for a day's compassionate leave as my nieces were only 13 and 17 when their dad died in tragic circumstances but this is not about going lower.

What on earth has happened to people and compassion? Where on earth has it gone? Surely if a person is bereaved they should take off as long as they need?

Well you hate my workplace I was off in full pay from March- sept throughout my husbands terminal illness and then the subsequent practicalities of having kids once he had passed. Employer never even asked me when I was returning or discussed my pay. They also made a significant donation to a related to charity.

Nearly £1m a year is an obscene amount of money to be paid. It's embarrassing that the BBC pulled free licenses for pensioners when they're paying people a million a year - £4000 for one show. Time off for a bereavement is one thing - but paying that is a joke.