Survey highlights flexibility penalty for mums
Despite the post-Covid move to more flexible working, many mums are struggling to get the...read more
A recent webinar by Fertifa focused on how employers can address the mental health issues associated with reproductive health.
Our mental health – and the way companies support their employees – is arguably more in the spotlight now than it has ever been. Having emerged from the recent national mental health awareness week it’s clear that the stigma previously associated with talking about mental health has thankfully largely disappeared.
However, talking about fertility and reproductive health at work still remains a taboo subject, and can have a devastating impact on mental health. So how many employees is this affecting?
Research by Fertility Network UK shows that 90% of people going through a fertility journey feel depressed and 43% feel suicidal.
When we put this into context and start thinking about businesses and employee demographics we can start to see the sheer numbers of people within any organisation that might be impacted!
Ruth Petzold, EDI manager at Anchor Hanover, says her company has been working hard to introduce support for its employees after a colleague approached her and raised the issue of how fertility was acknowledged and addressed in the workplace .
“A colleague asked how we could work together to make some positive changes and support others who may be struggling as a result of fertility challenges or going through treatment.
“We saw that there were some quick steps we could take, such as moving information about ‘fertility-related’ time off out of the maternity policy, which could be very triggering for people already struggling. We also engaged with groups such as our LGBTQ+ group, developed guidance for managers on how to approach talking about fertility and opened our internal comms channels to our colleagues’ stories and experiences – which have been really powerful.”
Anchor Hanover announced earlier this year that it is partnering with Fertifa to give its staff access to a range of reproductive health education and services, including virtual consultations with leading fertility doctors, discounted private fertility investigations and treatment, help to navigate NHS fertility treatment and 24/7 access to dedicated fertility advisors.
“Adding fertility support and services to the employee benefits we offer is an important step in acknowledging the huge burden of emotional, physical and financial stress that many people experience as a direct result of fertility challenges,” says Petzold.
Lucie McGrath, Head of Client Strategy and proposition development at Willis Towers Watson, agrees that considering the impact of fertility and reproductive health on employees must be a priority for HR professionals. In a recent WTW survey of 200 corporate clients findings showed that the top short-term priority for respondents, regardless of the size of their organisation, was enhancing emotional wellbeing services and stress/resilience management for their employees.
“Can offering fertility benefits in the workplace offer value? In a single word – yes!” says Lucie.
“There are undoubtedly huge benefits for employees who may be impacted by challenges or concerned about their future reproductive health, and there is a significant opportunity for employers to also see benefits in the recruitment, engagement and retention of their staff, and to support their equality, diversity and inclusion strategies. My advice would be for companies to simply make a start in addressing the issue of fertility – as doing some things is far better than doing nothing.”
Ruth and Lucie’s top tips are as follows:
*This is an edited version of a report on a recent webinar published by Fertifa, a fertility benefits provider. Willis Towers Watson has also published a reproductive health guide.