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Heartbreak leave can help employees recover from shattered relationships
A Bill in the Philippines is trying to secure time off for workers after a break-up. Could it improve productivity elsewhere?
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For some workers, protecting their income still takes priority over their heartache – or, as Ms Marquez put it, “no money, no honey”.
PHOTO: PEXELS
Minnie Advincula and Emma Jacobs
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In recognition of the “negative emotional baggage” that can come after a relationship break-up, Mr Ricardo Dublado, chief executive of Cebu Century Plaza Hotel in the Philippines, unveiled in 2023 an unusual new staff policy: five days of paid heartbreak leave.
The time off, which can be taken annually provided the break-up is with a different person each year, was inspired by Mr Dublado’s own experience. In the Philippines, the idea is catching on: a parliamentary Bill in February proposed that any worker going through a romantic break-up should be eligible for up to three days of unpaid leave.
