We all spend A LOT of our time at our place of work of if you freelance, you possibly spend time in and out of workplaces.

However it manifests, if you are working it takes up a lot of your time. So when it comes to trying to conceive and struggling - the one thing you really need in place is a supportive workplace. 

Sadly, this often isn't the case, which is why Natalie has teamed up with two brilliant ladies Becky Kearns and Claire Ingle to create Fertility Matters at work. 

This episode may seem a big self-indulgent as Natalie interviews Becky and Claire, her partners in crime at Fertility Matters At Work, but please do indulge us just this once as we are on a mission. 

One step at a time we are looking to change how fertility issues are addressed in the workplace.

The motivation behind Fertility Matters At Work

Becky has a background in HR but also experienced fertility treatments and a miscarriage whilst holding down a job and strongly felt that so many things could have been done differently. Becky hears from other women just how stressful it is for women going through fertility treatments and how they have felt that they’ve not been able to speak out, feeling misunderstood and unsupported in the workplace. Becky recently featured in the latest video from Ferring Pharmaceuticals talking about one encounter she had with her boss which you can watch here 

Claire also has an HR background and felt that she ‘bumbled’ through her IVF treatment, working around appointments and trying not to inconvenience her place of work. This caused Claire so much anxiety and stress and she felt she couldn’t manage both her job and her fertility treatments. Like Becky, Claire felt this could have been handled so differently. Claire also felt that the policy in her workplace was lacking. Natalie met Claire through a mutual friend as Claire was already running a survey on her instagram called IVF at Work 

Support in the workplace

Natalie shared her experience of not knowing who she could turn to for advice and support within her workplace. Both Becky and Claire noticed that while they were working in HR never once did an employee came to them for support or to understand what they were entitled to. Employees are worried about how they are going to be perceived for openly admitting that they are trying for a baby, and there is the assumption that women who are trying to conceive are not as committed.

Advice to employers and employees

Together they are hoping that they can increase the conversations and narrative surrounding what needs to be thought about from employers and an employees perspective. They have already found that they are getting a huge response on social media and have started gathering examples to use this to inform employers about the issues that women are facing.

Natalie, Becky and Claire want to be able to offer advice and tips to empower women to start conversations and challenge their employers to change current policies and strategy. However, they also hope to be able to support employers to aid retention of the workforce and understanding what their generation of workers need.

Changing policies

All organisations will differ on how easily and quickly they can change policy. Natalie, Becky and Claire hope to be able to offer employers assistance with the development and implementation of these policies.

Socials:

Fertility Matters at Work on Insta

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