Around 1 in 6 couples have fertility challenges and nearly 70,000 IVF treatment cycles are carried out each year in the UK (and similar data is reflected globally). Many LGBTQ+ individuals wanting to have children also need help to do so.
If this is you, we want to support you and we recognise this will inevitably impact you at work. It can be time-consuming, emotional, and impact your physical and mental health. It’s also not always successful.
If you (whatever your gender) are experiencing and managing fertility treatment, we don’t expect you to continue at work as normal. Your physical health may be directly impacted if you require treatment, your mental health may be challenged by the intensity and stress of the process, and you may need to take time-off for appointments.
We care about what you’re experiencing and we want to reassure you that you should feel comfortable opening up and talking to us about this. We appreciate there can be stigma attached to speaking about starting a family in the workplace but we believe that our approach to flexible working goes hand-in-hand with being extremely family-friendly (whether your child is here and present in your life, or you’re working extremely hard to welcome a child into your life).
Whether you’re the planned birthing parent or partner, you should feel comfortable opening up to your manager. We know that opening up is sometimes easier said than done, but talking to them, or the People team, could help us to support you better. While we do our best to check-in and recognise signs that someone might be struggling, it can be tricky to detect when someone is suffering in a remote environment.
You’re able to take paid time-off as part of our Sick Leave & Pay policy and Our Approach To Flexible Working. We appreciate time-off requirements will differ, ranging from shifting your day to attend appointments to full days of time-off for intensive treatment and recovery. You may also need to take compassionate leave to rest and recover if treatment isn’t successful.
We provide mental health support with Spill. If you’re struggling mentally, please take advantage of the support offered. You can read more on our Mental Health Support page.
<aside> 💭 We’re designing our policies and explainers to be inclusive and meaningful. They’re not exhaustive and we recognise that we might not always get it right. Please be candid with your feedback and suggestions.
Speak to the People team anytime to share your thoughts or personal experiences 💜
</aside>