Managing the logistics of loss: A new benefit provides support

It’s one of the hardest challenges employees will face: losing a loved one. Are employers doing enough to help their workers through these tough times?

Cara McCarty, a former HR director, thought she knew the ins and outs of bereavement policies, but losing her mother a few years back gave her a new perspective on the process employees find themselves in after losing someone close to them.

“That’s when it really became apparent to me, the lack of support from managers and even co-workers,” McCarty says. “I don't think people really understand the amount of logistics there are when you lose someone, and how to talk about it.”

Read more: Why bereavement leave isn’t enough: What employees need after losing a loved one

McCarty is tackling these tough conversations with her benefits platform, Betterleave. Founded this year, the program provides full-spectrum bereavement care, from logistical support around planning a funeral and executing an estate, to emotional needs like connecting employees with mental health providers and grief coaches.

Betterleave will also work with HR teams to build bereavement policies that are in legal compliance, and gives companies communication templates to help employers navigate conversations with employees in need.

“That communication piece of how people want to be supported is incredibly important to that experience,” McCarty says. “We’re delivering a platform that has care coordinators built into it, because there are so many logistics and coordination, so we can help you do all of that.”

The platform wants to tap into the benefits that employers already offer, and then apply those tools to the bereavement process, McCarty says. For example, the average cost of a funeral is between $7,000-$12,000, an overwhelming sum for many. Betterleave can mine other employee benefits that can help offset those costs.

Read more: The burden of bereavement: Grief is the latest challenge for employers in the coronavirus era

“We want you to optimize your existing benefits,” McCarty says. “Let’s say you have a 401(k) provider and you can take a loan out of your 401(k) to help pay for funeral costs. We think about the entire ecosystem of benefits and how you can utilize them.”

Beyond logistics, the process of grief is complicated, and often messy. Having access to a mental health provider or grief coach can provide the support employers may feel they can’t offer, McCarty says.

“It’s painful enough, and it’s fragmented enough and the people you spend most of your time with aren’t sure how to support you,” she says. “On the platform, you can talk to a grief coach directly. That emotional support is so important.”

The platform highlights the growing trend of utilizing technology to navigate life events, McCarty says. As employees look for other solutions that address their needs outside of the office, bereavement and death are going to need to be addressed in a similar way.

“Due to the pandemic, we've allowed employers into our lives,” she says. “And I think we're seeing a shift, where younger generations are saying, death care is another life event, and bereavement is another live event, and we need to be supported, and expect technology to support us in that.”