Expanding bereavement support to include pregnancy loss
By Ron Gura | Published: 2025-10-31 16:14:00 | Source: Inc.com
Almost a One million pregnancies It ends in miscarriage in the United States every year. However, most companies do not offer bereavement leave for this type of loss. Millions of individuals and families face this grief without formal recognition from their employers
As a father, I know the depth of love and responsibility that parents feel from the beginning. Throughout my career, I have seen colleagues, employees, and friends struggle in silence after pregnancy and infant loss. These experiences should not be met with silence. They must be handled with care
Over the past few years, we have seen a growing awareness among employers that loss takes many forms, and that traditional bereavement policies often do not reflect this reality. Historically, bereavement policies were designed to allow employees to make funeral arrangements. Today, more leaders recognize that grief is not just a logistical problem, and that employees need time and support to process profound loss.
Pregnancy loss supportÂ
However, there is one area that remains largely unaddressed: pregnancy loss. For many families, a miscarriage or stillbirth causes profound grief that is rarely acknowledged in the workplace. SharmThe 2024 Employee Benefits Survey found that while 91 percent of employers offer some form of paid bereavement leave, only 39 percent include coverage for pregnancy loss, surrogacy failure, or adoption failure. Without acknowledgment or support, the grief caused by these events often leads to isolation, disengagement, and even depletion
Today, very few states mandate pregnancy loss leave. Among them ca and illinoiswhich recently amended its laws to explicitly include miscarriages and other reproductive losses. But in most states, this type of leave remains voluntary
For Hope, a 37-year-old benefits analyst, pregnancy loss was physically exhausting and emotionally isolating. “When I had a miscarriage while on vacation, I felt terrified and alone,” she shared with us. “Having a compassionate person to talk to made a huge difference.”
Later, after suffering a second loss, she thought about how little appreciation many parents receive at work. “Pregnancy loss is a unique kind of grief,” she explained. “I felt a connection to my children even before the world knew them, and when that connection was suddenly broken, it left me feeling alone.”
Now she’s sharing her story to help others feel seen. “I’m proud to speak out because abortion is often silenced,” she said. “By talking about it, I hope to make it easier for other parents to find support.”
Stories like Hope’s remind us that grief does not fit neatly into policy categories, and that true care in the workplace means acknowledging the many forms that loss can take.
Pregnancy loss in the workplaceÂ
Jessica Zucker, Ph.D., a psychologist recognized internationally for her pioneering work in reproductive mental health and founder of the #IHadaMiscarriage campaign, has long called for greater recognition of pregnancy loss in professional settings. In her work with us, she said: “Supporting this ubiquitous experience is not optional: when workplaces fail to respond, people leave their jobs, cultures weaken, and silence, stigma and shame persist. But when employers acknowledge grief and offer evidence-based resources, they build trust and resilience throughout the entire organization.”
When companies recognize pregnancy loss as a legitimate reason for leave, they’re not just checking a box; They foster a culture of empathy and trust. Search from Sadness tax 2025 The report shows that nearly 80% of bereaved employees have considered quitting and more than 75% fear losing their job following a loss, with work-related impacts lasting an average of 16 months – evidence that meaningful support can make a lasting difference. McKinsey & Company The analysis estimates that unresolved grief costs American businesses more than $75 billion annually in lost productivity.
Expanding support for employersÂ
Some forward-thinking organizations have already begun to expand their policies to reflect this reality. It increases bereavement days, expands eligibility to family of choice, and explicitly covers pregnancy and infant loss. It is a quiet but profound shift in how we define care at work
At Empathy, we’ve seen this transformation firsthand. Our platform was created to help families cope with loss with compassion and clarity, and address the emotional and practical burdens that come with it. And last month, we expanded our pregnancy loss support offering to include tailored pregnancy loss support, ensuring parents facing reproductive loss receive expert guidance and care tailored to their experience.
I hope that with Empathy’s loss support and similar offerings, and the efforts of advocates like Jessica Zucker to destigmatize this issue, we will see more people coming forward after these types of losses, with the support of their employers.
October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, and it’s time to think about expanding the scope of bereavement, not just policy reform. But because it’s an opportunity to show employees that they matter when it matters most. For families, it provides validation. For companies, it builds cultures of resilience. For all of us, this is the right thing to do
(Tags for translation)Benefits
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