What Maeve is

More than a chatbot. A manager's most useful colleague.

Maeve is besideU's AI guidance companion — trained specifically for workplace bereavement. She doesn't give generic advice. She gives specific, practical guidance informed by your organisation's policy, the besideU framework, and thousands of real workplace bereavement scenarios.

When a manager finds out someone on their team has been bereaved, they don't have time to read guides or wait for HR. They open besideU and ask Maeve. She responds immediately with exactly what to do, what to say, and what to avoid.

What Maeve is not
  • Not a counsellor or therapist
  • Not a replacement for human HR
  • Not trained on your employee data without consent
  • Not designed to interact directly with bereaved employees
  • Not autonomous — every recommendation is advisory
How Maeve works

Configured to your organisation. Available the moment it matters.

01

Configured to your workplace

We train Maeve on your bereavement policy, your escalation routes, and your HR team's preferences. Her advice matches your organisation, not a generic one.

02

Available the moment it matters

Managers open besideU and ask Maeve anything — from "what do I say?" to "should I let them work from home this week?" She responds immediately.

03

Escalates what matters

Maeve flags cases to HR when they need a human. She doesn't replace your people team. She makes them more effective.

See Maeve in action

Real scenarios. Real guidance.

These are the moments managers face. Here's how Maeve helps.

Scenario 1 — First response
"Sarah on my team just told me her father died. I don't know what to say."
First — you don't need the perfect words. Presence matters more than eloquence. Here's what I'd suggest for the next 24 hours, based on your policy: acknowledge the loss simply and directly, confirm Sarah's leave entitlement (5 days paid for immediate family under your policy), and let her know work is covered. I can draft a message for you if that would help.
Scenario 2 — Return to work
"James is back after two weeks off. He seems fine but I'm not sure what to say in our first check-in."
Lead with presence, not performance. A short, private conversation works best. Don't ask "how are you?" — it's too broad. Try "I'm glad you're back. There's no pressure to talk about anything unless you want to." Your policy allows a 4-week phased return — mention that it's available without making him feel like he needs to justify using it.
Scenario 3 — Anticipatory grief
"A team member's mother is seriously ill. She hasn't asked for anything but I can see she's struggling."
Grief doesn't begin at death. Have a private conversation — acknowledge what she might be going through without assuming. Something like: "I wanted to check in. I know things may be difficult at the moment. If there's anything we can adjust to help — flexible hours, working from home — it's available." Document any agreed adjustments. And check in again in a fortnight.
Built with care, by design

Trust and ethics are not afterthoughts.

Bereavement data is some of the most sensitive data an organisation holds. We treat it that way.

UK GDPR compliant

All data processed under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Bereavement data is treated as sensitive by default.

Data stays in your organisation

Maeve interactions are private. HR sees case management data only. Employee conversations are never shared without consent.

Human escalation built in

Maeve recognises when a situation needs a human. She escalates to HR and signposts professional support — she doesn't try to contain crisis.

Not used to train third-party AI

Your data is never used to train external AI models. Full data processing agreements provided to every client on sign-up.

Read our full AI Usage & Ethics Policy →

Ready to give your managers the confidence to support their people?

Book a 20-minute call. We'll introduce you to Maeve, show you how she works with your policy, and answer any questions.

Book a 20-min demo