Grief is deeply personal. But in today’s workforce, it’s also a business issue.
According to The Grief Tax: Empathy’s 2025 Research Report, the impacts of loss show up in performance, productivity, and long-term engagement—often for far longer than most policies account for.
In fact, 74% of employees said their work was impacted after a loss, with disruptions ranging from trouble concentrating to missed deadlines and fear of job loss. For employees who also served as executors—the person designated in a will to manage an estate—the burden was even heavier. These employees reported an average of five or more work-related challenges that lasted for over 17 months.
That’s 375 business days of strain affecting performance, well-being, and long-term retention.
The Grief Tax shows up in Slack messages, missed meetings, and project delays
Our research shows that grief affects every part of how employees show up:
93.7% reported trouble concentrating
90.8% said they were significantly less productive
84.4% regularly had to miss work
Many feared job loss, skipped promotions, or reductions in pay. For HR teams, people leaders, and benefits decision-makers, these numbers should serve as a wake-up call. Not because support isn’t being offered, but because it often doesn’t meet the acute moment of need in their emotional upheaval.
Get the stats that matter
To help employers make sense of this data and turn insight into action, we created a downloadable resource: Grief at Work in 2025: 5 Stats Every Employer Needs to Know.
This visual summary breaks down the most critical workplace findings from the Grief Tax report and provides insight into what employees are actually experiencing after a loss.
Want the full picture? Read the 2025 Grief Tax Research Report
Empathy’s 2025 Grief Tax report is a first-of-its-kind look at the emotional, logistical, and financial toll of loss — and how it’s showing up in today’s workplace.
👉 Or get the workplace stats in one visual snapshot