Fertility challenges affect more people in your workforce than you might realise.
Around one in seven couples in the UK have difficulties conceiving, and infertility is a growing issue. For many, navigating that journey while working creates stress that is rarely visible, rarely discussed, and rarely formally supported.
Fertility problems can have a significant impact on both mental and physical health. Over 85% of people experiencing infertility feel it affects their mental health, which leads to a negative impact on their work life and daily tasks.
Employees often feel the need to hide their struggles with fertility, which causes more stress and anxiety. Employers who take a proactive, inclusive approach to fertility support are seeing real, measurable improvements in wellbeing, retention, and productivity.
Fertility Challenges in the Workplace
Work-related stress tends to focus on workload, management relationships, or organisational change. But obviously, there are many reasons that people feel stressed.
The impact of fertility challenges on day-to-day life can be huge. Having the right policies and procedures in place helps your employees understand what benefits and support are available to them. From a business perspective, workplace fertility support can improve retention, morale, and productivity.
Why do people going through fertility challenges feel stress?
The NHS recognises that fertility treatment is directly associated with elevated levels of anxiety and depression.
Stress can be from the emotional cycles of hope and loss from trying to grow a family or from the physical demands of treatment, such as hormone injections, clinic appointments and surgical procedures.
Who do fertility challenges impact?
Fertility challenges affect people of all genders, backgrounds, and family structures.
Every person in your employment could be impacted by fertility, and that's why it is important to create inclusive benefits, regardless of what the fertility journey looks like.
That includes employees undergoing IVF or IUI, those using donor conception, those facing pregnancy loss, and those supporting a partner through treatment.
Support networks and practical employee support, such as flexible hours and understanding policies for fertility patients and those undergoing fertility investigations, are essential for employee wellbeing.
Read More about Inclusive Fertility Benefits
How to Identify Fertility Stress in Your Business?
Work-related stress impacts UK employers each year through absenteeism, presenteeism, and staff turnover. There is currently no statutory right to time off for fertility treatment in the UK. Employers are encouraged to adopt supportive policies to address this gap and retain top talent.
Here are 5 patterns for your teams to look for when identifying potential triggers for fertility stress:
- Unexplained absences for medical appointments, many of which are booked at short notice.
- A gradual decline in output, engagement, and confidence. Presenteeism is driven by emotional exhaustion.
- Increased use of sick leave during active treatment cycles or following pregnancy loss.
- Talented employees quietly decide to leave for organisations they believe will be more understanding.
- Requests for additional flexibility to attend appointments rather than using sick leave.
Nearly one in five employees has considered leaving their job due to a lack...
