HR Cruises

Donna Rogers Skowronski, MEd., SPHR, SHRM-SCP

"Bereavement Leave & Flexibility: A Personal Story"

 

 

 

Learning Objectives:

1. To learn the Current State of Bereavement Leave in the Workplace
2. To understand difference between US Workplace Policy with Other Countries
3. To Consider the Unthinkable When Employees Are the "Responsible One"

 

Session Description:

 

Most organizations give a handful or less days off when and employee's loved one dies. Some don't even pay for those days off and are not set up from a policy or technology standpoint to allow the employee to work remotely. In today's workplace there should be policies and technology in place to allow an employee to take whatever time they actually need off while still achieving their goals especially when they want to and can mentally handle juggling the needs of their family and their employer. This program will explore current research related to workforce bereavement across the United States comparing it to other countries while sharing a personal story of unofficial bereavement leave with some minor accommodations on the employer’s part that led to successful completion of the job with zero complaints. The speaker lost her father age 73 who died from cancer, brother age 46 who was killed in a drunk driver incident, and a mother age 68 who died from a heart attack and medical negligence all within a 23 month span. Hear her inspiring story and how she managed all of her responsibilities without any official bereavement leave and lots of flexibility. Your employees can do the same if they have management support to do so.

Agenda
• Introduction
• Explore The Current State of Bereavement Leave in the Workplace
• Compare US Workplace Policy with Other Countries
• Consider the Unthinkable When Employees Are the "Responsible One"
• Imagine Yourself in Your Employees Shoes
• Recommendations for Improvement
• Call to Action
• Conclusion

 

 

Speaker Bio:

 

Donna Rogers is an instructor of management at UIS and owner of Rogers HR Consulting. She has a Masters in Human Resources Development from UIUC, a Bachelor's in Public Relations from ISU and two associates' degrees. Her firm previously won the Small Business of the Year award. She earned the HR Professional of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Award from CIC-SHRM. She regularly delivers numerous presentations among professional groups to include state and national conferences. She previously taught at Robert Morris College and has guest lectured at Benedictine University. She humbly serves her peers in the HR field as a member of the SHRM Student Chapter Co-Advisor and is a former North Central Region MAC Representative and is a Past Director ILSHRM.

 

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