Baby Loss Awareness Week 2026: Why Workplace Support Should Not Depend on When a Pregnancy Ends
- 4 Min Read
As Baby Loss Awareness Week highlights the experiences of bereaved parents, gaps in statutory workplace support remain. Employers including Co-op, Channel 4, Monzo and TALA are demonstrating how pregnancy loss policies can go beyond legal requirements.
- Author: HRD Connect
- Date published: Oct 13, 2026
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Losing a baby does not become less devastating because it happens before a particular week of pregnancy. Yet workplace entitlements in the UK have historically depended on precisely that distinction.
For employees experiencing miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal loss, grief can be compounded by physical recovery, financial uncertainty and the pressure of returning to work.
Baby Loss Awareness Week, held from 9 to 15 October 2026, raises an important question: should workplace support depend on when a pregnancy ends?
What does UK employment law require?
In Great Britain, employees whose baby is stillborn after 24 weeks of pregnancy, or whose child dies before turning 18, are entitled to two weeks of statutory Parental Bereavement Leave. Eligible employees may also receive statutory bereavement pay.
Following stillbirth after 24 weeks, eligible birth parents retain maternity leave and pay entitlements, while partners may qualify for paternity leave and pay.
Pregnancy loss before 24 weeks is treated differently. Employees do not currently have an automatic entitlement to statutory parental bereavement leave, although pregnancy-related sickness absence is protected against discrimination and should be recorded separately from ordinary sickness absence.
The Employment Rights Act 2025 will extend bereavement leave to pregnancy loss before 24 weeks, although the new entitlement is not yet in force in Great Britain and will not automatically include statutory pay.
Northern Ireland introduced paid bereavement leave following miscarriage in April 2026.
While legislation is evolving, employers retain considerable discretion over the support available beyond statutory requirements.
Four companies going beyond statutory support
Several organisations have introduced dedicated policies recognising pregnancy loss as bereavement, regardless of when it occurs.
Co-op: Ten days’ paid leave
In October 2025, Co-op doubled its pregnancy loss entitlement to ten days’ fully paid leave, regardless of pregnancy stage or length of service.
The policy includes partners and intended parents through surrogacy, alongside paid medical appointments, counselling and manager guidance.
Channel 4: Two weeks on full pay
Channel 4 introduced a pregnancy loss policy in 2021, offering two weeks’ fully paid leave regardless of the circumstances of the loss or length of service.
It also provides paid medical appointments, flexible working, counselling and a dedicated Pregnancy Loss Champion. The broadcaster made its policy publicly available for other employers to adapt.
Monzo: Supporting both parents
Digital bank Monzo offers up to ten days’ additional paid leave following pregnancy loss, including for partners and those involved in surrogacy.
Its wider reproductive health support includes paid fertility leave and an employee support group, recognising that the effects of pregnancy loss can extend beyond the immediate period of bereavement.
TALA: Extending enhanced parental leave
Activewear brand TALA has introduced a miscarriage policy offering extended leave, including for pregnancy loss before 24 weeks.
Founder Grace Beverley, who has spoken publicly about her own miscarriage, discussed the approach in June 2026.
For losses after 24 weeks, TALA allows employees to access their full maternity or paternity leave, including enhanced pay, rather than restricting support to statutory entitlements.
The policy recognises that the need for recovery and bereavement support does not disappear because a pregnancy ends in loss.
Why policy alone is not enough
Paid leave provides important financial protection, but employees also need confidence that accessing support will not affect their career progression or workplace relationships.
Managers play a significant role in shaping that experience.
Employees may not have disclosed their pregnancy, may require ongoing medical treatment or may prefer to keep their circumstances private.
Acas recommends discussing individual needs and considering adjustments such as phased returns, temporary home working or changes to working patterns.
Support should also recognise different family structures and the experiences of partners, whose grief can be overlooked.
Confidentiality is equally important. Employees should not have to repeatedly explain traumatic circumstances to access leave.
Nor does grief follow a predictable timetable. Anniversaries, subsequent pregnancies and fertility treatment can bring renewed challenges long after an employee returns to work.
Recognising bereavement without conditions
The expansion of statutory bereavement rights marks progress towards recognising pregnancy loss before 24 weeks.
But legal entitlements remain only one part of meaningful workplace support.
The approaches taken by Co-op, Channel 4, Monzo and TALA demonstrate how paid leave, flexibility and compassionate management can provide greater security during an exceptionally difficult experience.
The distinction is not simply between employers that meet their legal obligations and those that exceed them. It is whether employees can access support without additional financial pressure, unnecessary disclosure or fear of workplace consequences.
Grief does not begin at 24 weeks. Workplace compassion should not either.
