Should workplaces offer heartbreak leave?

Is paid leave the answer to a broken heart?  

For one in three employees in the United States, the answer is yes — a sentiment that's fuelling growing calls worldwide for "heartbreak leave" to be added to workplace benefits.  

Heartbreak leave is defined by Zety as a workplace benefit granting employees formal days off to recover from romantic loss.  

Zety's recent findings revealed that 33% of employees in the United States believe that employers should offer this benefit, with 43% saying they would likely use it if offered at work.  

These calls come in the wake of recent steps in other parts of the world to introduce this benefit.  

In the Philippines, a legislator last year filed a bill aimed at introducing a "heartbreak leave" that will give employees up to three days of unpaid leave to recover from substantial emotional toll associated with breakups.  

It aims to give employees the "time and space for emotional processing" in order to return to the workplace with improved focus and performance.  

Why should HR offer heartbreak leave?

The top reason driving the need for this bill is the emotional turmoil experienced by employees when they separate from their romantic partners.  

Zety's findings show that a breakup negatively impacted the productivity of 43% of employees. Others said the experience:  

• Led to lower motivation or engagement at work (38%)
• Lower attendance or punctuality (25%)
• Impaired their decision-making or problem-solving (23%)
• Negatively impacted their relationships with colleagues or managers (17%)  

"Emotional strain from heartbreak can reduce individual productivity and engagement while also affecting team collaboration and workplace dynamics," Zety's report reads.  

Data from the London-based career network AllBright shows that 95% of employees going through a divorce or separation reported a decline in their mental health at work.  

Similarly, a 2022 study from the University of Minnesota showed that almost 44% of employees going through a divorce with their partner agreed that the process had a negative impact on their work.  

Among its effects are the lack of focus or sleep, as well as the tendency to break down in tears.  

One notable case of needing time off during separation was when Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni took a personal day off from official duties in October 2025 after the announcement of her separation from her partner of 10 years.  

"I'm sorry to not be with you in person, but I, too, am human," Meloni said in a video link at the Brothers of Italy conference in 2023.  

Should employers offer heartbreak leave?  

These experiences underscore the need for employers to give employees the space to grieve over heartbreak, according to reports.  

"Recognising and addressing these impacts proactively allows managers to support staff before challenges escalate," Zety's report reads.  

Courtney Boyer, relationship and sexuality expert and certified life coach, said workplaces would do well to accommodate employees experiencing heartbreak.  

"Heartbreak leave would legitimise the realities employees face in relationships and life. Nearly everyone will experience some sort of heartbreak," Boyer said as quoted by AllBright.  

"Pretending like it doesn't exist does no one any good. In fact, it further perpetuates this notion that employees are machines, there to perform and produce, ignoring the very personhood that makes them valuable members of a company."  

If not leave days, employees would prefer to receive other benefits at work, such as remote work days and flexible hours, according to Zety's report.  

Fewer check-ins or meetings and adjusted deadlines or workloads are also welcome.  

Nikki Innocent, a life coach, said employers can also provide supporting resources for employees going through heartbreak.  

"I'd recommend organisations come up with a suite of offerings for people going through significant relational distress in their lives, which includes access to mental health professionals, specialists, and coaches to help them navigate the complexities of the experience and also creating a path to acknowledgement within the confines of their work dynamics," Innocent said as quoted by AllBright.