Employers need to manage emergency leave requests with compassion

A recent news story concerning the father of a soldier killed in Iraq raises the issue of when employers should grant their employees compassionate leave. Stewardson, whose son was killed by a sniper during a patrol in Basra in 2007, worked as an NHS hospital porter. He was initially given one day's leave to attend the funeral, which was later changed to six days' paid compassionate leave. He is now campaigning for employees whose relatives are killed in action to be entitled to 10 days' paid compassionate leave with management discretion for extensions if considered necessary. This would be a legal breakthrough if he succeeded.