FERTILITY TREATMENT AND WORK – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

People worry it can hold back their career, use all of their holiday and add huge levels of stress

§ 41% of those going through fertility treatment did not talk to their manager – meaning they dealt with the side effects (physical and emotional) alone at work.
§ Why? Two-fifths (41%) did not feel comfortable about it, a third (33%) felt unable to talk openly about their fertility struggles at work and sadly 22% felt it would negatively impact their career.
§ When Cat Turner realised she needed help getting pregnant – 3 rounds of IUI, 8 rounds of IVF and 2 hysteroscopies – the impact on her work was challenging.
§ Join Becky Kearns from Fertility Matters At Work and Cat to find out more and what you might need to do.

This week is National Fertility Week but did you know that there is no legal right for employees to time off work for IVF treatment or related sickness which often follows. Employers ARE required to treat these things as the same as sickness leave – but we all know that taking too much time for sickness can lead you into trouble, too.

We might think (and hope) that companies look at these issues and support those going through what is an emotional and challenging – both physically and mentally – time.

But, almost half (41%) of all people going through fertility treatment right (women and their partners) did not talk with their manager about it to gain support at work.

The data, from the Co-op, also reveals the reasons why not. Two fifths (41%) did not feel comfortable about it, a third (33%) felt unable to talk openly about their fertility struggles at work and sadly 22% felt it would negatively impact their career.

Experiencing difficulties conceiving and then going through treatment can be distressing for many people. As well as the different emotions people may experience, fertility treatment can also sometimes affect work in practical ways.

For example, treatment is likely to involve multiple appointments, some at very short notice. This makes it difficult to plan them into your working week and give notice as they ordinarily would. Pregnant women will also likely experience side effects or need time to recover from procedures. If you need to take hormones, they will also probably affect your mood.
And finally, if the procedure doesn’t work out, getting bad news will also likely impact your ability to get through the working day.

We know that thousands of women are going through all of these struggles in silence for fear of it impacting their job – and this needs to change.

When Cat found out she had fertility issues she found it incredibly difficult emotionally – especially when colleagues around her became pregnant. She felt that many felt she wasn’t interested in having a baby and instead was just focused on her work.

In reality, it was what Cat wanted more than anything in the world.

As a result, when she became pregnant with Theo, she didn’t tell people as she was worried she would lose the pregnancy – something many women going through this treatment feel a heightened sense of. Cat notes that she struggled to connect herself with the fact she was pregnant and described seeing Theo on scans as an ‘out of body’ experience.

Cat had multiple cycles of IVF and in early stages would book early appointments and take annual leave. In some years it took up all of her annual leave.

Cat and her colleagues – through worker networks and unions – have worked together to launch a new fertility treatment policy which applies to all staff across the Co-op (some 60,000+ people).

The policy also comes with a guide which is aimed towards managers – most will never have had any experience of fertility issues – on how to offer practical, actual and emotional support to those going through it.

The guide is being made free and open for any company, anywhere around the world, as a starting point to help improve things for those experiencing fertility issues.

Endorsed by unions and charities (Fertility Matters at Work and Surrogacy UK, and working with Co-op’s unions, the policy includes a range of flexible support, including:

o Paid time off to attend appointments for colleagues undergoing treatment themselves, including if colleagues are surrogates. Time off for those receiving treatment is not specified as we don’t assume to know what people will need.
o Paid time off for accompanying those receiving treatment to appointments (for partners including same sex partners/intended parents/colleagues conceiving through a surrogate) The guide for the amount of time in the policy is paid leave for up to ten appointments per cycle for up to three cycles of fertility treatment
o More inclusive to recognise all different types of family
o Assurance that anyone can access this policy – it doesn’t matter how long a colleague has worked for Co-op or how many hours they work
o A section covering embryo transfer and pregnancy rights including a connection to our pregnancy loss policy if embryo transfer is not successful
o Signposting to counselling and wellbeing support
o Signposting to support with exercise, nutrition and making healthy lifestyle choices
o Information about financial wellbeing including Salary Finance, Wagestream and Credit Union
o Signposting to charities and specialist support groups who can offer support
o Links to information about flexible working as a way of facilitating extra treatment

ACAS Guidance

Having IVF treatment
If you become pregnant through IVF, you have all the same pregnancy and maternity rights as non-IVF pregnancies.

There’s no legal right for time off work for IVF treatment or related sickness. But your employer should treat your IVF appointments and any sickness the same as any other medical appointment or sickness. You can check your contract for this.
You could talk with your employer about any time off you need during your IVF treatment. They might agree to you using:
· flexible working
· paid time off, unpaid time off or holiday

When you have pregnancy protection rights
You have pregnancy rights once you’ve had the last part of the IVF process (‘embryo transfer’) and might become pregnant.
You do not have to tell your employer at this stage, but you might find it helpful as they could offer support.
If your employer knows you might be pregnant, you’re protected against unfair dismissal and unfair treatment related to your possible pregnancy.

If you find out you’re pregnant
You continue to have the same rights throughout your pregnancy and maternity as with non-IVF pregnancies.

If the IVF was unsuccessful
You’re still protected by law against pregnancy discrimination for 2 weeks after finding out an embryo transfer was unsuccessful.