How does separation affect people at work?
Separation affects concentration, attendance and money, often for months. In a 2023 survey of 200 UK workers by the Positive Parenting Alliance, 9 in 10 people who had separated said it affected their ability to work, and 39% took time off. The CIPD's evidence review on financial wellbeing found that people who are separated tend to have higher levels of absence and presenteeism.[2][3][4]
Divorce numbers are only part of the picture. The ONS counts 105,002 divorces in England and Wales in 2025, but couples who live together and separate aren't counted at all, and they can have children and a shared home to sort out too.[1]
There's no legal right to time off for a divorce or separation. Employees can take a reasonable amount of unpaid time off to deal with an emergency involving a dependant, and employers can choose to offer paid, compassionate or special leave.[5] In practice, most of the strain shows up in the working day: calls to solicitors at lunchtime, forms done late at night, new childcare arrangements, and worry about money and housing.
Most of the work of separating is paperwork, decisions and waiting. People cope better at work when they know what comes next.
Some large UK employers, including Tesco, NatWest and PwC, have signed the Positive Parenting Alliance's HR initiative, which asks employers to treat separation as a life event in their HR policies and to point staff to support.[2] divorcd gives you that support to point to.
How does an employer package work?
A package runs for a year and is set up around how your organisation already shares benefits.
- A short call. We learn about your organisation, where your people are, and the support you already offer, such as an employee assistance programme.
- A written proposal. We set out what's included and the price, with no obligation.
- Access for employees. We give you a code to share on your intranet or benefits platform. Employees use it to join divorcd with their own email address, which can be a personal one.
- Materials for launch. Wording for your intranet and internal emails, and the line manager briefing, ready to use.
- A short report each quarter. How many employees have joined, and nothing else.
What will we see about our employees?
Only numbers. We never tell an employer who has joined divorcd, which guides they've read, what's in their plan or anything they've said in the members' rooms. We report the number of employees who have joined, and only once five or more have, so nobody can be identified. Members choose a nickname, and their real names and contact details are never shown to other members. Our privacy policy explains how we handle personal information.
- No names, emails or job titles shared with you
- No reporting below five people
- Employees can use a personal email address
- Our emails come from "DL Members", with subject lines that don't mention divorce
Which organisations is it for?
HR, people and wellbeing teams who want to support employees through separation alongside the help they already offer. It suits organisations that have an employee assistance programme and want something practical to sit next to it, and those that are adding separation to their family-friendly policies.
We also work with employee assistance providers and benefits platforms that would like to offer divorcd to their own clients. If that's you, get in touch and tell us how your service works.
divorcd gives general information, not legal or financial advice. When an employee needs advice about their own situation, they can get matched with a family solicitor, mediator or financial adviser and deal with them directly. Professionals who pay to be listed are always labelled, and we explain our income on how we make money.
How much does it cost?
Prices are on request. They depend on the size of your organisation and what you'd like included. We'll send a written proposal after a short call, and there's no obligation.
Talk to us about your team
Tell us a little about your organisation and we'll arrange a short call. We usually reply within one working day.
Talk to usCommon questions
Will we know which employees use divorcd?
No. Employees join with their own email address, which can be a personal one, and we never tell an employer who has joined or anything they've done or said on divorcd. You'll receive the number of employees who have joined, and only when it's five or more, so nobody can be identified.
Does divorcd replace our employee assistance programme?
No. An employee assistance programme offers counselling and wider support. divorcd covers the practical side of separating: the process, money, children, paperwork and finding the right professional. The two work well together, and our manager guidance tells managers when to point someone to your EAP.
Is divorcd legal advice?
No. divorcd gives general information, written by our founder and checked against official sources such as GOV.UK. It doesn't replace advice about someone's own situation. Employees can use Get matched to be introduced to family solicitors, mediators or regulated financial advisers, and they deal with those professionals directly.
Does it help employees in Scotland and Northern Ireland?
Partly. Most of our legal guides cover the law in England and Wales, and we also publish guides to divorce in Scotland and in Northern Ireland, where the law is different. The plan, membership and manager guidance are useful wherever someone lives in the UK.
How much does a package cost?
Prices are on request. They depend on the size of your organisation and what you'd like included. Talk to us and we'll send a written proposal.
How do we get started?
Send us a message through our contact form or email [email protected]. We'll arrange a short call to understand your organisation and the support you already offer, then send a proposal.
Sources
- Office for National Statistics, Divorces in England and Wales: 2024 and 2025 (23 September 2026)
- Positive Parenting Alliance, HR initiative and survey findings (January 2023), checked 20 October 2026
- DJS Research, report of the Positive Parenting Alliance survey of 200 UK workers (January 2023)
- CIPD, Financial wellbeing: an evidence review, practice summary and guidance (November 2021)
- Acas, Time off to help someone else (updated 13 March 2025)
The Positive Parenting Alliance is a campaign group. Its survey was small and its method isn't published, so treat its figures as an indication rather than a measurement.
Keep reading
This page is general information about divorcd's services for employers. It isn't legal, HR or financial advice.