National Fertility Week: is your workplace set up to support the 1 in 6 needing fertility treatment to build their family?

During National Fertility Week from 1 to 5 November 2021, Fertility Matters at Work is launching their workplace education and policy programme to raise awareness of fertility issues and their impact in the workplace, supporting organisations in becoming “fertility friendly” – an important topic that relates to mental health, workplace wellness, and women’s reproductive health.

Fertility Matters at Work is a new Community Interest Company specialising in fertility workplace education, set up by three founders each with their own individual fertility experience. Their personal insights are complemented by more than 30 years of experience as HR professionals alongside the founder of the UK’s longest-running fertility education podcast The Fertility Podcast.  Their mission is to break down barriers and taboos on a subject that is often difficult to discuss for both employees and employers.

They have collaborated on the Fertility at Work project to provide a broad range of fertility support and benefits to complement their training and policy offering. They are proud to partner with Fertility Circle, an app that provides the very best expert support, information and community for anyone experiencing fertility issues; Hertility Health, offering at-home fertility and menopause testing and treatment for employees and leading UK law firm Shoosmiths assisting on the legal and advisory aspects of the project by employment law specialists.

The new educational e-learning and training programme guides participants on what fertility treatment is, how common it is, the patient journey, the impact from a physical, emotional, and financial perspective, how employers can encourage disclosure, why it is important to recognise fertility treatment as part of the workplace, how to hold constructive conversations and how workplaces can become more fertility friendly. Fertility Matters at Work also offers bespoke training and policy development consultancy, with research-based insights and practical recommendations to support organisations attracting and retaining talent is becoming one of the first “fertility friendly” employers.

Natalie Silverman, co-founder of Fertility Matters at Work and founder of The Fertility Podcast said: “We believe the Fertility Matters at Work initiative to be a first of its kind designed to enable employers to support their people through this often difficult experience, one that can have a significant impact on mental health and emotional wellbeing. During 35 years of HR experience, neither Becky nor Claire have ever been approached by an employee needing support through fertility struggles – this silence speaks volumes. ”

Karen Hanson, the co-founder of Fertility Circle, said: “It's time for a change in the workplace! 

Fertility Matters at Work have created a much needed, comprehensive and informative bank of resources which will not only help employers to be respectful and mindful but also to provide a supportive environment for their employees who are having fertility treatment.”

Dr Helen O’Neill, CEO and founder of Hertility Health, said: “I’m thrilled to be supporting Fertility at Work – with one in three women suffering from a reproductive health issue, we hope this project will help to de-stigmatise conversations around fertility in the workplace.”

Helen Burgess, the employment partner at Shoosmiths, said: “‘You may be tempted to think ‘not another e-learning tool’ – but this isn’t a standard e-learning package. A great deal of time and effort makes it informative, accessible, and engaging. The taboo around fertility in the workplace needs to be broken, and managers and employees need to have this firmly on their radars and know how to deal with the issue – whether they’re going through fertility challenges personally or are managing people who are.”

About Fertility Matters At Work:

Fertility Matters At Work exists to educate and inspire businesses with an awareness of how infertility affects both their employees and their organisation. By increasing awareness and overcoming the many misconceptions we can support the many working women and men that are facing this challenge. Not only improving their personal experience but also, as an inclusive and diverse employer, improving engagement, loyalty, and productivity. Our key principles are to:

Ensure employers and employees recognise that fertility issues can affect as many as one in six couples, all of working age.  Open up conversations within the workplace so that those facing fertility struggles don’t need to suffer in silence. Educate about the reality of what fertility treatment involves and the link to mental health. Empower organisations to build an inclusive and supportive workplace, helping them to become modern employers of choice. 

About Fertility Circle:

Fertility Circle is a one-stop app that supports you through each step of your journey - like your best friend with all the fertility smarts. Connecting members to a like-minded community and trusted experts from around the world, Fertility Circle empowers people to make informed choices when it comes to their fertility - through information, education, and inspiration. It's the place for virtual hugs, practical support, and somewhere to find friends who just 'get it'. To download the free of charge app, search 'fertilitycircle' in Apple and Google Play online app stores or click on the links: Apple Android

About The Fertility Podcast:

The Fertility Podcast is the longest-running UK podcast dedicated to fertility education and ranks within the Top 5% in the UK, regularly charting within the 100 Mental Health podcasts in the UK and in 20 countries globally. As a professional broadcaster and voiceover, Natalie Silverman launched The Fertility Podcast, once successfully pregnant after ICSI treatment. Natalie has spoken to numerous men and women about their struggles and interviewed fertility experts around the globe. Since 2019, the podcast has been co-hosted by Kate Davies, an independent fertility nurse consultant. To date, the podcast has had almost half a million downloads. Each week the podcast welcomes resident fertility expert Dr James Nicopollus to answer questions in our ‘Ask the Expert’ feature.

About Hertility Health:

Hertility Health is shaping the future of reproductive health by giving women the ability to understand and manage their hormone health from menstruation to menopause. 1 in 3 women suffer from a reproductive health issue, yet conversations around fertility, menopause, and menstrual symptoms are still stigmatised in the workplace.

We partner with companies to provide their employees with education, female health assessments and consultations with in-house experts in fertility, menopause, PCOS, endometriosis, and gynaecology. Our health assessments detect hormone imbalances, potential thyroid dysfunction, reproductive health conditions and give insights into overall fertility and likely age of menopause. We adopt a life-course approach, providing your employees with actionable insights to achieve their reproductive and overall health goals - whatever these may be. We believe that through better access to education and earlier diagnosis of reproductive health issues, we can improve the day-to-day and longer-term wellbeing of your workforce.

About Shoosmiths:

Shoosmiths LLP is a UK law firm with 13 locations across the United Kingdom, and 210 partners, and 1400+ lawyers and business support employees. It announced a turnover of £167.9 million to end April 2021. Shoosmiths LLP was recently awarded ‘Best Operational Continuity’ and ‘Best Shared Learning with Clients’ at the Managing Partners’ Forum Awards and Legal Technology Team of the Year at the Legal Business Awards, 2021. Shoosmiths has been ranked in the top five firms for deal volume for the past five years in Experian MarketIQ’s M&A Review. Its national team of specialist lawyers provides excellent client service and legal advice across all employment matters, whether for corporate clients, where our focus is on improving their business in innovative and forward-thinking ways or supporting high net worth individuals on their personal requirements.