Hour one
Confirm and coordinate
- Confirm the death through an authorized source, such as the family’s chosen contact or the employee’s emergency contact. Do not act on rumor. Name one HR contact for follow-up.
- Use clear, accurate language in official records. Follow the family’s preferences for personal details, names, and what may be shared.
- Coordinate with IT, legal, and records teams to secure access and preserve required business records. Do not delete the account or files automatically.
- Limit personnel, beneficiary, payroll, and benefits records to the authorized people who need them for the next steps.
Day one
Tell the team like people
- Coordinate timing and language with the family’s contact when possible. Tell the immediate team through an appropriate live channel before a broad company message.
- Keep the announcement factual: the employee’s name, that they died, what may be shared, and what happens next for the team. Do not share the cause without permission.
- Update meetings, calendars, routing, and automatic messages promptly and respectfully so employees and clients don’t receive confusing messages.
- Name one workplace contact for the family and give the family that one name and number.
Day two
The paperwork the family needs
- Final pay: check your state’s deadline for paying a deceased employee’s wages, and to whom they may legally be paid. States differ; ask counsel or your payroll provider today, not next month.
- Life insurance and retirement: notify carriers and plan administrators, and send the family the claim forms with a named human they can call.
- Health coverage: tell dependents in writing what happens to their coverage and their continuation options, with dates.
- Tell the family what to expect in one page: what you’ll send, when it will arrive, and who they can contact. Make the process easy to follow.
The first two weeks
The team that keeps working
- Explain available leave and scheduling flexibility clearly. Apply policy consistently, check state and local requirements, and consider paid time for the funeral or memorial.
- Redistribute work explicitly, with named owners and realistic deadlines. Do not let extra work fall silently on one teammate.
- Managers offer individual check-ins without assuming who was closest or requiring anyone to discuss their grief.
- Share available support, including an EAP if you have one, crisis resources when appropriate, and MORTL’s practical grief guidance.
This is practical guidance, not legal advice. Final pay, benefits, records, and leave rules are state, local, plan, and policy specific. The federal FLSA doesn’t require paid funeral leave. Confirm current requirements with counsel, payroll, and benefits administrators. U.S. Department of Labor source.