Over 3.5 million people in the UK struggle with infertility, yet it remains a subject many people are uncomfortable addressing in the workplace. For women in particular, the fear of being dismissed as “overly-emotional“ for speaking up about their reproductive health can leave them feeling silenced. On the other hand, men account for approximately half of all infertility problems but are rarely equally represented in the conversation around fertility health.
Some progress is being made in extending workplace protections for people struggling with infertility, but work remains to be done. The pending Employment Rights Bill would require employers to offer (unpaid) bereavement leave for miscarriages occurring before 24 weeks, but offers no similar provision for those undergoing fertility treatments like IVF. This means, despite the considerable emotional and physical toll IVF can have on so many women, it remains legally defined as an elective treatment equivalent to plastic surgery.
This combination of stigma and a lack of structured support at work can make an already challenging fertility journey even more difficult. However, with the right training, discourse, and benefits, HR leaders can play a crucial role in encouraging safer, more compassionate workplaces for those quietly struggling with infertility.
Starting a conversation
Where Government policy falls short, HR professionals can pick up the baton by openly acknowledging the seriousness of infertility as a health matter rather than a lifestyle consideration. Fostering a culture of transparency and inclusivity is the first step to ensuring employees feel empowered to seek out the practical and emotional support they might need.
It is also vital that employees are aware of the existing support available to them. Firmwide training days serve the dual purpose of improving knowledge and openness around fertility, whilst also signposting benefits to employees who might need them.
Offering further training to workplace decision-makers, such as managers and HR representatives, also ensures that employees raising the sensitive topic of infertility do not have to fear being met with ignorance. Education about different fertility treatments, their side effects, and time sensitivities not only provides managers with the understanding necessary to provide reasonable adjustment options, it also empowers them to handle difficult conversations with delicacy and confidence.
Practical benefits
There are many proactive fertility benefits that HR leaders can offer their employees.
Sadly, an estimated one in five pregnancies end in miscarriage, and as the Employment Rights Bill will still only offer unpaid leave, providing paid leave for miscarriages before 24 weeks ahead of this legislation is one way HR leaders can demonstrate to female employees that they take the impact of infertility seriously.
Women should also not have to use annual leave or take a pay cut whilst undergoing fertility treatment. Instead, HR policy ought to recognise the emotional and physical strain of treatments like IVF with the basic right of paid leave for appointments. For same-sex couples, for whom reproductive treatment is often the only way to conceive, a consideration such as this means they can access the medical help they need to start a family without shame and under less financial pressure.
Some employers are also beginning to offer benefits that help employees balance their career and family aspirations, such as egg freezing for women who might want to start a family later in life. Fertility MOTs are another option that larger companies could extend to employees, as a way for both men and women to gain insight into their personal fertility health and plan their future fertility journeys.
Beyond awareness
National Fertility Awareness Week has offered an opportunity to reflect on how far we’ve come in improving support for and understanding of infertility and a reminder that there is still more to be done. HR leaders have a vital role to play in creating the open and compassionate modern workplaces that employees quietly struggling with infertility deserve through a framework of training, understanding, and tailored benefits.
Dr. César Díaz, chief medical officer at CREATE fertility
