She was always be a part of our family and will always be in our hearts.

When I shut the account down a few years back, I saved some of the things I had written.

I came across one post that brought back a wave of emotion and sadness as I read it.

I remember the grief and pain I felt in the weeks after she died.

And while this was our family pet, this got me thinking about bereavement policies and how most dont offer near enough time for employees grieve, heal, and recover during a time of loss of a loved one.

This is a huge step toward being a little more human and a little less policy driven for their people.

While I understand there needs to be guidelines in place, I am not a fan of how companies legislate how many days a person can take to grieve.

And, then take it further, to say who you are allowed to use bereavement time for.

If its an immediate family member, close friend, or even the loss of a pet, the feelings and emotions are all equally painful.

Treat employees as adults and also provide them with added support by making sure they know all about your EAP.

If youre worried about abuse of this policy, address the abuser, not the empathy and compassion of your policy.

Are they truly reflecting the needs of your employees Do they err more on the side of common sense or bureaucratic nonsense If the latter, put yourself in the situation.

Although she was 13, and had a couple of tough days, I say, unexpectedly because I wasnt totally prepared for it.

There was a weird feeling when I left the house, Friday morning.

I gave her a scratch behind the ears and told her to hang in there.

I kept waking up, thinking I heard her shifting like she always did, beside my bed, to get comfortable.

Awoke to feed her.

Awoke to see that wagging tail and that smiling face.

No quiet woof from her to let me know she was ready to go out.

When we had a bad day, she was always there with a wag of the tail, that smile when she brought a ball, or a sock, or a toy, to you when you walked in the door.

The vet referred to her as the dog who smiled.

Whenever she saw someone new, or you scratched her ears, she had a big smile on her face.) When either of us were out of town, Dixie was always by our side.

She was always in the same room with us, and, more than likely, on the couch, in our lap.

At 6pm, there was no wagging tail or nudge of her muzzle to let me know she was ready to eat.

I am so lucky to have such a great companion for almost a third of my life.

Bereavement Policy Sample