Queen Elizabeth II: advice for employers

Like many of you, I had been drawn into the rolling coverage of the Queen’s ill health and when the announcement of her death happened it felt quite surreal. A constant in all of our lives has suddenly gone.

A lot of people have strong feelings about the Royal Family and the idea of monarchy itself. Managing those conversations and those often passionate opinions can be difficult. Some colleagues will feel deep grief at this loss, others may not. For some colleagues the death of the Queen could bring their own experiences of grief and bereavement to the surface whilst many of us may struggle with the disruption to the routine of our daily lives.

This is a unique situation which brings unique challenges for our members, particularly for organisations where Queen Elizabeth II was the head of state. This blog is here as a starting point to help you manage any potential challenges in the workplace as well as support your colleagues through this time.

Lead with kindness

This seismic shift will produce strong emotions and we would always recommend leading with kindness. Acknowledge that some people will be impacted by this news and some colleagues may find the coming days particularly difficult. Regardless of your opinion, kindness is the best starting point.

Simply checking in and asking how colleagues are feeling is a kind and incredibly powerful thing to do. If you have an Employee Assistance Programme ensure this is shared with your teams and they know what it includes and how they can access it.

Allowing people the space to share how they are feeling and responding with kindness and empathy is at the cornerstone of how both managers and colleagues can respond to this news.

Difficult conversations

Discussing politics, including the monarchy and their impact on world culture, can be difficult regardless of the current period of mourning.

For many people, the monarchy represents empire and colonialism. The structure and history of the monarchy could also represent inequality and be a cause of anger for others. This could lead to situations where some colleagues are mourning the passing of Queen Elizabeth II whilst others do not feel grief and do not want to engage with those that do.

It’s a complicated situation for employers to navigate and all managers should be prepared to manage difficult conversations with kindness and patience. Our resources on courageous conversations and inclusive line manager conversations may help with some of these conversations.

Grief and bereavement

It is likely that the death of Queen Elizabeth II may be triggering for staff who have gone through grief themselves. Regardless of whether their loss was more recent or not, grief and bereavement leave a lasting impact on our colleagues’ lives.

We all face grief in our lives and it is one of the most difficult things that many of us will go through so workplaces have a responsibility to support their staff. Our blog post on supporting colleagues who are grieving will provide you with some excellent pointers on how to discuss grief and bereavement in the workplace.

Mental health

Regardless of where colleagues may stand on Monarchy and the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the next few weeks and months provide a level of uncertainty and change that some people may struggle with.

For most people in the UK, Queen Elizabeth II has been the only Monarch they have ever known. This period of change can be difficult as our normal routines may be disrupted by the national period of mourning.

Following this as the UK and other parts of the world transition to life with King Charles III as the monarch, there is likely to still be a feeling of uncertainty and weariness for employees. Make sure that everyone is aware of the support services available to support the mental health and wellbeing of staff in your organisation. Over the coming months make sure you check in on your colleagues regularly and see how they are doing. Our guidance on mental health may be useful and we also offer Mental Health First Aid training.

Time off work

It has been announced that the Queen’s funeral will take place on Monday 19^th September at 11:00 GMT. This date has been declared a national Bank Holiday in the UK to allow individuals and organisations to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II should they wish to. This Bank Holiday will take place across the entirety of the United Kingdom and operates in the same way as other Bank Holidays.

Whilst there is no statutory entitlement to give staff time off for Bank Holidays, it is reasonable to expect most workers will be able to take the day off as a Bank Holiday. There is comprehensive guidance on the UK government website but generally we would recommend that employers should aim to give time off work as a bank holiday and respond sensitively to employees who wish to take the day off work.

Final thoughts

As we shared at the beginning of this short post, lead with kindness. Everyone will be impacted by the ongoing events in a range of ways and it is not for any of us to pass judgement or shut down difficult conversations.

To recap:

• Ensure that you approach difficult conversations from a place of kindness and respect
• Make your communications around mental health and grief and bereavement support clear from the beginning
• Be sensitive with employees who ask for time off for the funeral.

Finally, our thoughts are with everyone who is in any way affected by the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.