HR Guide to Reproductive Health Benefits: The companies with the best reproductive health benefits in 2024

Reproductive health can have a significant impact on both your people and your business. With an average cost of £30k to replace an employee, having the right support for your workforce will have a positive impact on your bottom line.

We've seen firsthand how more and more companies are taking the step towards supporting their employees in their reproductive health journeys. In this article, we will take you through the organisations that are leading the way in employee support for reproductive health, and setting the gold standard for others to follow.

What are reproductive health benefits?

Reproductive health is a broad term that encompasses a wide range of issues, conditions, and treatments. From menopause symptoms to fertility treatments, reproductive healthcare works to address a wide range of health issues.

When it comes to reproductive health benefits, there are several types of financial, structural, and emotional support companies can offer their employees. We understand that not every company will be in a position to offer their employees financial coverage or contributions (for fertility treatments, for example), especially considering how costly they can be. Thankfully, there are many other ways employers can offer their support.

Here, we’ll walk you through some of the widely recognised reproductive health areas, and the various ways employers can provide support for employees.

Menopause

Menopause is a natural stage of life that anyone with a female reproductive system will go through. 8 out of 10 women will continue to work during this time, but no two people will experience menopause in the same way. Support for people experiencing menopause symptoms is crucial. Here are some of the key ways a company can support employees through menopause:

- Unlimited 1-2-1 access to menopause specialists, through services like Fertifa

- Menopause training for managers

- Implementing a menopause policy

- Workplace adjustments to accommodate menopausal symptoms  

Men’s health 

Men’s health concerns are often left unaddressed. This is because statistically men are far more reluctant to open up about their healthcare concerns, despite the fact that 1 in 5 men will die before they are old enough to retire.. Here are some of the ways employers can offer support to their employees facing male-specific health concerns:

- Early diagnostics and testing for everything from prostate and testicular cancer, something we offer at Fertifa

- Creating an open, inclusive and supportive environment that will encourage men to share

- Flexible working policies that support men through all of life's biggest challenges

Fertility and family-forming

1 in 6 people globally will struggle with their fertility. But no two fertility journeys are the same. Employers can offer workplace support for all fertility issues and family-forming challenges. At Fertifa we support employees through fertility treatment, adoption, surrogacy, and pregnancy loss. Here’s how:

- Workplace fertility benefits, including financial coverage or contribution towards treatment

- Flexible work arrangements

- Paid parental leave

- Pregnancy loss and fertility policies to support people through all pregnancy journeys

- Suitable workplace and leave accommodation for pregnant workers

Women's Health

One third of women experience severe reproductive or gynaecological health problems that can have debilitating symptoms. Women's health encompasses a wide range of health conditions including polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, fibroids, breast and ovarian cancers and many more. Here's what a women's health strategy might look like in the workplace::

- Access to gynaecologists or women's health specialists. Find out more about our women's health specialists at Fertifa, here.

- Raising awareness and staying educated around women's health concerns and their impacts. Check out our educational resources and library for more information.

- Putting a women's health policy in place. You can download our template policy here if you're starting to think about drafting your own.

Sexual health

Employers can help reduce the risk of their workforce encountering sexual health issues through the services and resources they provide access to. Theses include:

- Sexual health services such as STI screenings, contraceptives, reproductive health exams, and counselling with healthcare providers.

- Signposting towards testing and treatment services.

- Free contraception

The crucial thing that ties all of the above topics and areas of support together is the value and effectiveness of an open and supportive workplace culture. To discover more about how Fertifa can help your company build a workplace that's inclusive to everyone, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Why should companies offer reproductive health benefits?

Companies that introduce reproductive health benefits see a positive impact at every level of their organisation. Whether it's improved wellbeing and better health outcomes or overall business productivity, reproductive health benefits have proven to be enhance performance and elevate organisations. We've listed out some of the most significant ways reproductive health benefits can impact your company:

1. They provide support for your employees and contribute to their health and wellbeing

As we’ve seen, there are several different reproductive health issues your employees may be experiencing and a wide range of symptoms associated with each one. These issues can be emotionally, physically, and sometimes financially draining and can impact an individual's wellbeing and capacity to be their best selves in both their personal and professional lives. Reproductive health benefits provide employees with access to the resources, support and healthcare services they may need to get back to their best.

2. They foster a supportive, open and caring company culture

Much like other physical or mental health benefits, reproductive health support can help create an environment where employees feel supported through some of life's biggest and most challenging moments, from trying to conceive to experiencing menopause symptoms. Putting reproductive health benefits in place shows your employees that you really understand what they are going through and that you are prepared to prioritise their wellbeing.

3. They help drive significant ROI

Reproductive health benefits are an investment, with companies seeing a significant ROI in the long run. Reproductive health support increases employee retention, promotes employee wellbeing (and in turn productivity), reduces absenteeism and the number of days employees miss due to sickness and time off.

To find out how much your company can save through reproductive health benefits, be sure to try out ROI calculator.

4. Companies are putting reproductive health support in place as a way to demonstrate commitment to employees’ reproductive health

Studies from earlier thisyear have highlighted an increasing global demand for fertility and family-forming benefits, reporting that 40% of all US employers will have fertility benefits in place by the end of the year. There are similar trends emerging in Europe too. Companies that overlook the value of reproductive health support, and the huge value these benefits are to employees, are going to miss out on the opportunity to improve employee wellbeing and satisfaction and benefit from the positive impacts this can make.

5. They can help attract and retain the best talent

We are seeing reproductive health benefits become an increasingly decisive factor for job seekers and candidates considering their next move. In fact, a recent survey found that 57% of employees have taken or would consider taking a job because it offered reproductive health benefits. Clearly, they are becoming increasingly valuable and sought after, and companies who can offer reproductive health benefits are increasingly being seen as the best places to work, by the best talent.

Which companies are doing it best?

We’ve created this list of 19 companies that offer varying ranges of support for reproductive health. We've not included all of our Fertifa clients here, and this is by no means an exhaustive list.

Remember, every company has a different budgets and so can provide their full-time employees with varying levels of reproductive health care and support. Ensuring that your company has a range of types of support and resources for all of your employees, regardless of their gender identity, relationship or marital status, or sexuality is crucial.

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From an SME to a large enterprise, no matter how much you can offer or afford to support your employees, doing whatever it is that you can is the most important thing 💜

Financial services

Monzo Bank 🏆

Monzo Bank are known for the incredibly open and supportive company culture that they have worked hard to establish. Their commitment to their employees' reproductive health and wellbeing has been significant in helping them build this culture.

All Monzo employees have access to Fertifa's in-house clinical team. Through unlimited and expert clinical advice, the Fertifa clinical team have guided many Monzo employees through their menopause, fertility and family-forming journeys. Fertifa also supports Monzo employees with access to a suite of educational resources that cover some of the most complicated and common reproductive health challenges. You can read about how we work with Monzo, in their annual Diversity & Inclusion Report.

Bain Capital 🏆

Bain Capital now support their employees through fertility treatments by offering coverage for IVF. This means employees will have access to unlimited and fully-reimbursed cycles of IVF that they can benefit from whenever they are looking to start or expand their families!

We'll be supporting their employees go through all reproductive health and family forming journeys. That includes fertility treatments like IVF and egg freezing, menopause support and treatment (including HRT prescriptions), early detection of male cancers, health issues like PCOS and endometriosis and family forming support that includes surrogacy and adoption. 

American Express

In recent years, American Express has taken significant measures to ensure their employees’ reproductive health is looked after and they can access any of the services they may need. This includes full reimbursement of surrogacy, adoption or fertility treatment up to $35,000, and free breast-milk shipping for any employee travelling on company business.

Rothesay 🏆

In 2022, Rothesay became a client of Fertifa and now provide their employees with access to unlimited 1-2-1 clinical advice and support throughout their fertility, family forming, menopause, men’s reproductive health or women’s health journeys. Rothesay’s fertility support policy ensures that certain fertility treatments will be partially reimbursed and the administration of this allowance will be completed confidentially by Fertifa. Additional paid leave is also provided to people if they or a partner are receiving fertility treatment.

Rathbones 🏆

Rathbones is leading the way in financial services, by implementing employee benefits that build an authentically inclusive organisation. As a Fertifa partner, our in-house clinical team will be looking after all Rathbones employees, with unlimited 1-2-1 clinical advice and support throughout their reproductive health journeys. We are supporting their people through managing menopause symptoms, fertility treatment and family-forming, such as IVF, egg-freezing and all the other paths to parenthood, men's health concerns (which includes early detection of male-related cancers like testicular and prostrate cancer),  women's health issues such as PCOS and endometriosis and the range of neurodiversity conditions as well from ADHD to dyslexia to autism spectrum condition.

Retail

Lululemon 🏆

In 2023, we welcomed Lululemon to the Fertifa family and have been supporting their employees in the UK and across Europe through their reproductive health journeys since. Fertifa now supports all Lululemon employees with their menopause, women's health and men's health issues.

Amazon

Last year, Amazon announced their intention to offer comprehensive reproductive health support to all their employees by extending their healthcare plan to part-time and hourly staff. This move means that over 1 million employees in Canada, the USA, the UK, Spain and Belgium now have access to reproductive health services. Financial support for egg freezing, IVF and adoption services is now available to employees across the sizeable Amazon family !  

ASDA

ASDA now allows up to three periods of paid leave for IVF, with five days for women and one day for men, along with the option of swapping shifts to fit around appointments, and additional unpaid leave if necessary. If offering complete and company-wide fertility treatment coverage is simply unrealistic (the case for the vast majority of organisations), the support structure ASDA have put in place is a great example of how you can still benefit your employees.

Legal

Osborne Clarke 🏆

When you think of a law firm, you might not imagine a workplace that's supportive, inclusive, and really cares about employee wellbeing.The good news is that some firms are working to change that perception through the introduction of reproductive health benefits. We're proud to say that Osborne Clarke are one of the law firms doing this and even prouder to say that they're part of our Fertifa family.

The Fertifa in-house clinical team look after all Osborne Clarke employees with access to our dedicated specialist reproductive health professionals, for all menopause, fertility, family-forming, men's and women's health challenges. Women’s reproductive health includes guidance and support through menopause, STIs, fibroids, endometriosis, PCOS and other conditions. Men’s reproductive health includes early screening for prostate and testicular cancer, as well as male-factor fertility and sexual health.

Foot Anstey 🏆

All employees at Foot Anstey firm now have access to unlimited 1-2-1 wellbeing support, navigational advice and expert resources for their fertility, menopause and any other reproductive health challenges they may be facing. They have also decided to offer employees' financial reimbursement for clinical treatment up to £15,000.

Slaughter & May

Another leading law firm, Slaughter and May has over 3,000 employees and offers a range of fantastic benefits that help look after the health and wellbeing of their employees. This includes providing an allowance for reproductive health, fertility and family forming treatments as well as a wellbeing platform. Other provisions include financial contributions towards egg-freezing services for employees their partners and enhanced family leave pay and shared parental leave," as they cite on their lifestyle benefits page.

Cooley

In 2022, California-based firm Cooley extended its fertility and family-forming benefits to its employees in London and throughout the UK, offering reimbursements of up to £45,000 for fertility treatments across its workforce.

The benefit, which Cooley has offered to US employees since October 2020, applies to all employees and partners in London and their spouses/partners who would like to have a child or preserve their fertility, including single parents by choice and LGBTQ+ individuals and couples.

Tech

Meta 🏆

Another Fertifa partner, tech company Meta offer comprehensive  reproductive health benefits to all of it's employees. As part of their dedication to employees, Meta offers a wide range of reproductive health benefits through their fertility and family-forming support, menopause, men's and women's health too.

Sony 🏆

Earlier this year, Fertifa launched its partnership with Sony Music Entertainment. We'll be supporting their UK-based employees through some of life's biggest reproductive health challenges through our clinically-led guidance and treatment plans for fertility, family-forming, menopause, men's and women's health, and neurodiversity challenges too. This includes direct access to our specialist in-house clinical team, advanced diagnostics and testing, and funding reimbursement via their monthly payroll.

Spotify

The Swedish music platform drives itself on bringing people together over music and making music accessible to everyone. But Spotify want to make reproductive health care accessible to all its employees too. Spotify's fertility benefits are a valuable support for employees who are struggling to conceive. They can help to reduce the financial burden of fertility treatment and provide peace of mind for employees who are trying to start a family. Spotify is distinctively known for its financial support for employees, offering unlimited fertility benefits and long periods of paid maternity or paternity leave. 

Microsoft

In 2023, Microsoft recently committed to offering its employees comprehensive reproductive health support through fertility and menopause services. This includes up to $15,000 in IVF-related expenses, also covering medications and procedures. This benefit is available to all employees who have been with the company for at least one year. In addition, Microsoft offers coverage for up to two cycles of egg freezing for women.

Energy and Industrial

ICMM 🏆

We're delighted that earlier this year we had the pleasure of welcoming ICMM to the Fertifa team! ICMM employees will now be supported by our in-house clinical team through expert and confidential clinical treatment and advice for all reproductive health challenges. This includes fertility treatment and family-forming journeys (everything from egg-freezing to IVF to surrogacy), healthcare for menopause and perimenopause symptoms including lifestyle advice and prescriptions for HRT (if needed), and tackling men's and women's health concerns such as PCOS, fibroids, and endometriosis.

BP

BP offer up to £15,000 towards fertility treatment for women and their partners, as well as support in the form of podcasts, peer support, webinars and roundtables. Managers also receive guidance on fertility in the workplace to help support their team. Returners from leave are offered career coaching, and line managers are given checklists and training on how to manage leave successfully. Menopausal women can access a support group and menopause-specific private healthcare plan, and the Women’s Network are planning to expand a menopause awareness event to include children and partners on the best way to support women. 

Tesla

The US electrical vehicle and energy company offers persuading menopause and fertility benefits to its employees. All employees can access fertility services including IVF, IUI, and egg or sperm freezing services and get financial assistance from the company when doing so. Tesla also offers support for the legal fees associated with adoption and surrogacy, making it an inclusive company for a range of family-forming options.

As you can see, there are many different ways companies are supporting their employees through their reproductive health journeys. If you want to know the different ways your company can provide support, please don’t hesitate to get in touch using the buttons below.

Get in touch to discover more about reproductive health benefits for your employees

If you're looking to put reproductive health support and benefits in place, book in a call with our team who can talk you through how we work at Fertifa and the ROI you can expect to see if you implement reproductive health benefits 💜