Redefining Support for Life’s Unexpected Challenges — Introducing Leave Support
A leave of absence is one of life’s most disruptive events. Whether brought on by illness (mental or physical), injury, or a planned procedure, its impact extends far beyond time away from the office. Employees often face uncertainty, isolation, and fear about returning to work, while also navigating complex paperwork and unclear timelines. For employers, extended absences can mean interrupted projects, reduced productivity, and significant hidden costs.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, roughly 2.6 million employees on average miss work any given week due to illness or injury. That’s not just time away: It’s confidence, identity, and stability disrupted.
Since day one, Empathy’s mission has been to guide people through life’s most difficult moments. With Loss Support, we redefined care for those navigating bereavement, and now are serving 45 million people across North America. With LifeVault, we helped people prepare for the future and protect their legacies. Now, with Leave Support, we’re expanding our reach to help employees navigate absence with dignity, and return to work stronger, more confident, and better supported.
Leave Support is an innovative solution for employees on short-term disability or other approved leaves. It provides daily guidance and structure to support recovery, emotionally, logistically, and physically, while helping employers enable smoother, more predictable returns to work.
Key features include:
Daily guidance and reminders to reinforce healthy routines and track progress.
Well-being tools, including guided meditations, breathing exercises, and CBT-inspired practices, to address the mental and emotional strain of absence.
Clear logistical navigation, with step-by-step checklists and employer-specific resources to simplify paperwork and reduce confusion.
Human connection, with trained Care Managers available whenever reassurance or guidance is needed.
Together, these features create a structured, evidence-based pathway back to health and productivity, one that recognizes both the human and business sides of recovery.
Launching first with MetLife
We’re proud to launch Leave Support with MetLife, one of the world’s pre-eminent financial services companies across insurance, annuities and employee benefits and a leader in providing short-term disability and absence-management services. Together, we’re setting a new standard for how employers support recovery, extending the same continuity of care we pioneered with Loss Support. Through this collaboration, Leave Support will be available to millions of employees across the US, offering a clear, confident path through recovery that integrates emotional, logistical, and practical care.
By bringing together MetLife’s scale, Empathy’s expertise and category-defining products, and employers’ commitment to their people, we’re helping organizations turn time away into an opportunity for renewal, leading to reduced disruption, improved retention, and healthier, more resilient teams.
Life doesn’t pause when someone needs to step away from work. But with the right support, recovery can be faster, smoother, and far less isolating. Leave Support represents the next step in our commitment to ensuring that no one has to face life’s toughest moments alone.