A J&J Executive’s Son Died. That Prompted a Policy Change at the Top
Companies offer more generous bereavement leave in pandemic’s wake and expand who counts as ‘family’
Tom Barklage, from left, with family members Alexis, Blake and Alison
Courtesy: Tom BarklageFive days, Tom Barklage knew, was not enough time to recover from the death of his son.
That was the message he relayed in a short email to Johnson & Johnson senior management in November 2021, less than a month after the sudden death of 17-year-old Blake from an undiagnosed infection that attacked his heart. The plea turned out to be a key factor in J&J’s July decision to increase bereavement leave from five days — the average across corporate America — to 30.