Zurich expands bereavement support to 3 million customers as UK faces “loss support crisis” 

Insurance giant Zurich has launched a large-scale bereavement support service for more than three million UK customers, in a move that signals a growing shift towards more holistic health and wellbeing support across financial services and the workplace. 

The insurer is partnering with Empathy to provide human-led and digital bereavement support at no extra cost, becoming one of the first major UK businesses to offer this level of end-to-end support at scale. 

The service provides personalised care plans, dedicated care managers and digital tools to help families manage the emotional and administrative burden following a death. Zurich said families using the service save an average of 148 hours of administration and £2,319 in associated costs. 

The launch comes amid what has been described as a “loss support crisis” in the UK. Research cited by Zurich shows that 33 per cent of bereaved people take time off work to deal with administrative tasks, while a similar proportion feel unsupported during the claims process. 

The findings highlight a clear link between bereavement, employee wellbeing and workplace productivity, with grief and administrative pressure having a direct impact on absence and performance. 

Zurich is also expanding its support offering beyond immediate bereavement. From July, customers will have access to Zurich LifeVault, a digital platform designed to support will writing, legacy planning and secure document storage, addressing the fact that one in two UK adults do not have a will. 

The company has also invested in training to support the rollout, with claims handlers and consultants receiving 60 hours of specialist bereavement training. This builds on a wider global programme, which has already delivered more than 50,000 hours of empathy training and driven a 48.8 percentage point increase in customer “helpfulness” scores. 

The move reflects a broader shift in customer expectations, with growing demand for practical and emotional support during major life events. Research shows that 57 per cent of people would choose an insurer based on bereavement support, while 92 per cent prioritise employers that offer it. Almost half (48 per cent) said they would consider leaving a job if they felt unsupported after a loss. 

Louise Colley, managing director at Zurich UK, said: “When it comes to loss and bereavement, grief is just the beginning. There are funeral logistics, probate and estate administration, digital accounts to close and more when your life has just been turned upside down. Empathy’s services will provide our customers with the human care and digital tools to manage all this and more, so that people don’t feel forced to move on but really helped to move forward.” 

James Tait, managing director of corporate protection at Zurich UK, added: “The inclusion of Empathy Loss Support™ in our offering will help our Corporate Risk customers to support their employees with compassion and care at arguably the most difficult time of their lives.” 

For employers, the launch reinforces the growing expectation to support employees through life events that extend beyond traditional health benefits. Bereavement is increasingly being recognised as a workplace wellbeing issue, with implications for absence, engagement and long-term retention. 

Ron Gura, Co-Founder & CEO of Empathy said: “Partnering with Zurich is a significant milestone in our mission to transform the way families navigate life’s most challenging moments – from loss and bereavement to the many complexities that follow. Bringing that support to millions of families across the UK, at the scale this partnership makes possible, is something we’re incredibly proud of. This is what meaningful, compassionate care looks like in practice.” 

The development also reflects a wider convergence between financial services and workplace wellbeing, as organisations look to provide more integrated, life-stage support to employees. 

As businesses continue to expand their wellbeing strategies, bereavement support is emerging as a key area of focus, particularly as employers look to build more resilient, compassionate workplace cultures across the UK.