UK workers face new infertility rules in a bid to stop employers losing “good people”. Fertility Network UK has said it is receiving more requests from employers for help in writing a policy because only 19 per cent of firms have one in place.
Ann Francke, the chief executive of the Chartered Management Institute, said: “Fertility treatment is often a very private and unpredictable experience for employees, presenting numerous challenges such as balancing work pressures with last-minute hospital appointments.
“Without skilled management support, the significant stresses of fertility treatment can lead to increased sick leave and retention issues if staff feel they have no other choice but to quit or decrease their responsibilities in order to cope with the impact of treatment.
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“Employers risk losing good people because they are not addressing what is a growing issue affecting more and more of our workforce every year.” Just 19% of the more than 1,000 managers surveyed by the CMI said their organisations had a formal policy concerning fertility treatment for employees.
35% said there were no plans to introduce one. However, three-fifths (63%) considered these policies to be important, according to data exclusively shared with the Guardian. Sharon Martin, the interim chief executive of Fertility Network UK, said fertility polices were “vital for effective support” to combat the “lack of education around the reality of fertility struggles and a lack of awareness about what a fertility journey entails”.
“With a policy in place, employees know immediately what help is available without having to disclose their infertility or treatment if they don’t wish to,” she said. A Department for Business and Trade spokesperson said: “We welcome companies choosing to offer improved wider benefits to their staff as part of their contract. Our plan to make work pay includes measures which may help people who are undergoing fertility treatment as well as their partners, including making sure people can benefit from flexible working and ensuring flexibility is a genuine default, except where it is not feasible.”