Facebook to give employees more time to grieve

Facebook has extended paid leave for family bereavement, and will give up to six weeks of leave to take care of sick family members, Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg said.

In a statement that combined the personal and the professional, Sandberg, who lost her husband Dave Goldberg in 2015, advocated for public policies that make it easier for people "to care for their children and ageing parents and for families to mourn and heal after loss".

Sandberg, who announced the move at the Maker's conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, wrote in a Facebook post:

"Amid the nightmare of Dave's death when my kids needed me more than ever, I was grateful every day to work for a company that provides bereavement leave and flexibility. I needed both to start my recovery."

The extension comes as more Silicon Valley companies are battling to offer benefits to their employees.

Facebook's new bereavement policy gives employees 20 days of paid leave to grieve for an immediate family member and up to 10 days to grieve for an extended family member.

Employees will also be able to take up to six weeks of paid leave to care for a sick relative and three days paid sick time to help a family member with a short-time illness, like a child with the flu.

The paid family leave can be taken every 12 months.

Only 60 percent of private sector workers in the U.S. get paid time off after the death of a loved one, according to the Department of Labor.

"People should be able both to work and be there for their families. No one should face this trade-off," she wrote.