The Co-op Group has announced that it is doubling paid leave for pregnancy loss – a policy first launched in 2021 – from five to 10 days.
It says the policy applies regardless of length of service, contracted hours, the stage or circumstances of the loss, and supports both parents, including partners and intended parents via surrogacy.
This offers “a level of inclusivity that remains rare in the UK retail sector”, the Group adds..
The update comes following a reception in the House of Commons on 15 October, organised by the Miscarriage Association, sponsored by the Group, and hosted by Sarah Owen MP, chair of the Women and Equalities Select Committee, to mark the success of the campaign to introduce statutory bereavement leave for pregnancy loss through the Employment Rights Bill.
Included in the policy are 10 days’ paid bereavement leave as a general guide, with additional flexibility according to individual circumstances; paid time off for medical appointments, plus access to counselling and mental health support through the Group’s colleague wellbeing services, alongside signposting to specialist charities; support for managers to enable sensitive, timely conversations and practical help; and emergency leave where a colleague’s family member experiences pregnancy loss.
“Losing a baby at any stage is devastating,” said CEO Shrine Khoury-Haq, “and no one should have to navigate that heartbreak without support. By doubling paid leave for pregnancy loss, we’re giving our colleagues the time and space they need, without added financial or work pressures. This is about compassion, fairness and breaking the silence around pregnancy loss.
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“Co-op also welcomes the Employment Rights Bill as a vital step forward and urge swift implementation, clear guidance for employers and – crucially – for more businesses to follow our lead and offer paid leave as standard.”
Miscarriage Association CEO Vicki Robinson said: “We’re delighted to see the Co-op continue to lead the way in supporting colleagues through pregnancy loss. Doubling paid leave shows real compassion and sets an important example for other employers to follow.
“The Co-op has been a strong supporter of our Leave for Every Loss campaign, and this update reinforces their commitment to treating pregnancy loss as the bereavement it is.”
Sarah Owen added: “Pregnancy loss is a bereavement, not an illness, and no one should have to face that heartbreak without time and support to grieve.
“Co-op’s decision to double paid leave for pregnancy loss sets an important example for employers across the UK. It shows real leadership and compassion at a time when we need more businesses to step up and recognise the impact of baby loss on families. This is about dignity, fairness and breaking the silence around an issue that affects hundreds of thousands of people every year.”
The Group says its approach was developed with the Miscarriage Association and is publicly available to encourage wider adoption across UK employers.
More than one in five pregnancies end in miscarriage – around a quarter of a million each year in the UK – and feedback from Group colleagues shows that dedicated, flexible support improves wellbeing, retention and job satisfaction by breaking down the taboo and providing time to grieve.
This enhancement sits alongside the Group’s wider commitments to bereaved parents, including four weeks’ fully paid leave for colleagues who lose a child under 18, and its long-standing advocacy which helped secure the Children’s Funeral Fund (2019).
