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Why fertility benefits are important

Fertility and reproductive health have gone underserved and under-supported in workplaces and public healthcare systems for far too long, with the majority of PMI (private medical insurance) schemes not covering fertility diagnostics, treatment or offering any kind of specialist support advice and wellbeing support.

An increasing number of companies are recognising the benefit of providing support for health areas such as fertility, and other areas of reproductive health. The BBC, Monzo (Fertifa client), Bain Capital (Fertifa client), Rothesay (Fertifa client), Diageo, and Santander, are just some examples of organisations that have already launched a fertility policy.

71% of employers see fertility benefits as a way of enhancing their DEI efforts, and aside from the clear diversity benefit, research by Fertility Network UK has shown that not being able to support any employee through their fertility journey, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, has a significant impact on employee retention.

38% of people going through fertility treatment consider quitting their jobs. 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.

Fertility benefits also signal that you, as an employer, are here to proactively support women in the workplace no matter what they are going through, so they are essential in attracting the best talent to your teams. This is especially important for companies looking to improve gender diversity on their senior leadership teams (as companies that have executive teams that are over a third female, have a net profit margin ten times greater than companies who don't have any women in these positions).

To create a workplace that's truly diverse and inclusive for everyone, it's crucial to support people through what can often be a difficult and lengthy journey. Without fertility and family forming support in place, you can't say authentically that you care about DE&I as a company.

There is plenty of research to show that happy employees are more productive

Objectively ranked 'happy' companies (companies with the happiest employees) outperform other publicly listed companies on the stock exchange, year after year. You can’t make your employees happy overnight, but listening to your employees and their needs is a vital first step in creating an environment where your team feel happy, supported, and able to bring their whole selves to work.

Lack of support and affordable treatment options for infertility issues has a huge impact on individuals’ wellbeing and mental health. Research by Fertility Network UK has shown that 90% of people who have experienced infertility said it has caused feelings of anxiety or depression, and 78% of people undergoing fertility treatment feel withdrawn from society.

Naturally, this has an impact on employee wellbeing and performance at work. 60% of people undergoing fertility treatment take unexplained absences and 50% have decreased job satisfaction.

1 in 7 heterosexual couples experience infertility worldwide, nearly all LGBTQ+ people need support to start their family, and an increasing number of people are becoming single parents or looking to preserve their fertility. With 77% of millennials willing to change jobs for a company that offers fertility benefits, it is becoming more important than ever to provide fertility and family forming support for your employees.

Companies with the best fertility benefits are the ones that are truly committed to supporting employees through all life stages

A great fertility benefit package is about more than just providing financial support for things like IVF and fertility preservation (egg, sperm or embryo freezing). It’s also important to have fertility experts on hand who can provide emotional and practical support to employees during their fertility journey. A dedicated team of fertility specialists with a wide range of expertise, such as nutritionists, psychologists, physicians, nurses and embryologists, will be able to help individuals through the process.

When choosing a fertility benefits platform, make sure there is fertility coverage for everyone in your organisation, irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, age and marital status. This means making sure your employees will have access to surrogacy services, support for family planning and coverage for single women and men who want to become parents or are thinking of egg freezing or sperm freezing. You should also make sure they work with with a range of fertility clinics (there is no requirement for an infertility diagnosis to access support.)

By offering the best fertility benefits, companies can make a real difference when it comes to their employees' physical and mental wellbeing - as well as creating an environment where everyone feels supported, accepted and included. This will ultimately result in the best health outcomes for your team and also increase happiness levels - which is beneficial for everyone.

Take tech company and Fertifa client, ClearScore, for example.

ClearScore recognised the need for reproductive healthcare coverage and how important it is to support potential parents and professional women with their fertility health care and all paths to parenthood to make sure people feel accepted and like they really belong. 

It's up to your People Team or HR team to cultivate an environment where people feel empowered to make use of all the support available to them

Considering how you can cultivate a supportive and psychologically safe environment, where people feel accepted no matter what stage of life they are in, demonstrates you genuinely care about them as individuals. 

There are many ways to support employees going through fertility treatment depending on the size, values and resources of organisations, and there is certainly not a one size fits all. At the very minimum, employers should have policies in place to clarify what employees can do when, for instance, they have to go to doctor's appointments back to back, support their partners or go through pregnancy loss.

The key things here are:

1. Offer practical ways for employees going through fertility issues to feel included (for example having a separate fridge for them for their injectables or offering flexible working for the times they have to visit the doctor).
2. Leadership buy-in is also crucial. There is no point creating a raft of policies if no one is actually allowed to implement them, and the executive teams are not creating a safe space for people to make use of the policies or leading by example.
3. Educating and training the wider team and line managers around what fertility challenges can look like in the workplace and the impact these challenges can have is important too. Educating people can be hugely important in opening up and normalising conversations about fertility challenges, and in ensuring people feel comfortable speaking to their manager about what support they might need.

It's especially important to consider how you can be completely inclusive with the fertility and family forming benefits you have on offer

Fertility issues are not only limited to women. If you are implementing a fertilty policy and benefits package, it is essential to ensure that the same level of care and services are available for LGBTQ+ individuals, same-sex couples, men and single people.

Lots of pathways to parenthood for LGBTQ+ people, such as using an egg or sperm donor, intrauterine insemination, surrogacy and adoption require lots of in-person appointments, even if someone is not physically going through fertility treatment themselves.

Additionally, 40% of heterosexual couples’ fertility challenges are male factor related, so the individual needing to make use of the support you have on offer may well be male. Even if someone is not undergoing treatment themselves, they will also likely want to attend important appointments with their partner or surrogate. 

Think about all pathways to parenthood  and what this will look like on a practical level for your employees. Use inclusive wording in your polices, so you can be sure people feel supported and be as accepting and understanding as possible to all the different types of fertility challenges people may face.