Write an Email Informing Your Manager About a Death in the Family

In this post, we will help you write a bereavement leave email to your boss while also adding some best practices and tips to ensure that the sensitivity and nuance of navigating this complex situation.

Shiva Prabhakaran

Marketing Expert at Routine

Published on

Informing your manager about a death in the family is a delicate situation to maneuver and can be emotionally taxing for you.

In this blog post, we will help you write a death in the family email to your boss professionally and give you some insights, best practices, and two sample templates to ensure that this difficult message is conveyed effectively.

Things to Remember

Timing is critical, so inform your boss as soon you can so that you have enough time to manage other aspects of this difficult situation instead.
Keep the email concise and take liberty in not including too many personal details which is not for anyone else to know, including your boss.
Go through your company's policy on bereavement leaves or ask your HR department for help as this will help you navigate this situation better.

Best Practices for Writing a Bereavement Email

Keep the subject line short and concise so that your manager can immediately know what is happening. For example, "Death in the Family: [Your Name]"
Share the sad news precisely so that you don't have to give out any more details than what is absolutely necessary.
Precise share the duration of the leave and also share the possibility of extending the leave.
Provide your contact details for your team to contact you regarding any work related emergencies in your absence.
Share your gratitude with your manager for their cooperation and understanding during this difficult time.

Sample Email for Death in Family

Sample 1 (When You Know the Return Date)

Subject: Family Bereavement Leave Until [Date]

Dear [Manager's Name],

I am writing this email to inform you that my [Relationship] has passed away, and I need to be with my family to attend to matters and process the loss.

I will be on leave starting from [Date] until [Date] and will do my best to do a quick knowledge transfer to someone in the team, so that our work operations are not affected. Additionally, I will also be available on [Phone Number], should any work emergencies arise.

Thank you for understanding my current predicament and supporting me during this difficult time. I will get in touch, as soon as I am ready to get back to work.

Thanks again for your empathy and solidarity.

Sample 1 (When You Do Not Know the Return Date)

Subject: Bereavement Email

Dear [Manager's Name],

It is with great sorrow that I am writing this email to inform you about the passing on my [Relationship]. I would like to take the next couple of weeks off to deal with the loss and attend to family matters.

I greatly appreciate your understanding during this time and be assured that I will let you know about my return date as soon as possible. Also, I will be available on [Phone Number] should any work emergencies come up.

Additionally, I would do my best to do a knowledge transfer to someone in the team to ensure there is no disruption.

Thank you for your understanding, me and my family are grateful for it.

Conclusion

Sharing details of a death in the family is sensitive to say the least and we hope that by following the best practices and the sample templates shared in this post, you will be able to better manage the situation.

We know this is a difficult time and we hope things get better for you soon. Take care.