UK employers ‘risk losing good people’ without policies on infertility, say managers
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Survey by Chartered Management Institute finds only 19% of companies have a policy in place. Employers should have formal policies in place to help workers who are undergoing fertility treatment, the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) has said, warning that businesses are increasingly losing talented people by failing to support them.
With NHS data showing that one in every seven couples have difficulty conceiving, the professional body urged companies to be understanding and supportive, and offer flexible work hours and paid time off to accommodate medical appointments, as well as paid compassionate leave when necessary.
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.
“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, and 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.
