British employers ‘risk losing good people’ without infertility policies, executives say

Employers should have formal policies in place to help employees undergoing fertility treatment, says the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), which warns that companies are increasingly losing talented people by not supporting them.

With NS facts It shows that one in seven couples has difficulty conceiving. The trade body has urged companies to be understanding and supportive and offer flexible working hours and paid time off for medical appointments, as well as paid carer’s leave if necessary.

Ann Francke, the CEO of the Chartered Management Institute, said: “Fertility treatment is often a highly personal and unpredictable experience for employees, presenting numerous challenges such as balancing workloads with last-minute hospital appointments.

“Without expert management support, the significant stresses associated with fertility treatment can lead to increased absenteeism and retention issues as staff feel they have no choice but to resign or reduce their responsibilities to cope with the impact of treatment offer.

“Employers risk losing good people because they are not paying attention to a growing problem that affects more and more of our workforce every year.”

Only 19% of more than 1,000 managers surveyed by the CMI said their organizations had a formal policy on fertility treatment for employees, and 35% said there were no plans to introduce one. However, three-fifths (63%) thought these policies were important, according to data shared exclusively with The Guardian.

Another report published last year suggested that one in five workers who had undergone fertility treatment had left their job due to a lack of support at work.

Sharon Martin, the interim chief executive of Fertility Network UK, which provides advice to employers and practical and emotional support to employees, said fertility policy is “vital to provide effective support” to address the “lack of education about the realities of fertility struggles and a lack of awareness of what a fertility journey entails,” including its physical, mental and financial impact.

“With a policy, employees know immediately what help is available, without having to disclose their infertility or treatment if they don’t want to,” she said, adding that some policies designate a staff member they can talk to for support, and designated charities that can help.

While some policies offer unlimited leave, others provide a fixed number of days, with the option of additional unpaid leave and flexible working, including for the partner of someone undergoing fertility treatment.

Martin said Fertility Network was increasingly receiving requests from employers to help them write policies. “Those who have adopted such policies say employees have responded very positively and responsibly,” she said.

Fertility Network’s latest survey found that 78% of employees said a company’s fertility policy was very important when considering a new job.

Fertility Network is part of the Workplace Fertility Campaign Group, which has presented a white paper to MPs in 2024 on the impact of fertility issues in the workplace, with the aim of redressing the current lack of rights for those undergoing fertility treatment and the discrimination that some people experience. face, despite infertility being a recognized medical condition.

The group is calling for the law to be changed so that workers undergoing IVF are entitled to paid leave to attend appointments and have their partners accompany them on an unpaid basis.

Kelly Harrison, who works in customer service, said the company she worked for when she underwent IVF did not have an infertility policy and had no previous experience dealing with it.

“I didn’t really know where I stood when it came to time off, so I took it upon myself to make sure that every time I had to take time off work for appointments, I worked back and tried to work this out for the first thing in the morning so as not to disrupt the office too much. Trying to balance appointments and work was quite stressful and I’m not sure I ever had to deal with the emotional side of it because I didn’t feel like I had the time,” she said.

A spokesperson for the Department for Business and Trade said: “We welcome businesses who choose to offer their staff better, wider benefits as part of their contract. Our plan to make work pay includes measures that can help both people undergoing fertility treatment and their partners, including ensuring people can benefit from flexible working and ensuring flexibility is a genuine standard, except where this is not feasible.