Welcome back to The F Word at Work! We’re excited to be in our 4th series, focused on how you can support colleagues through their various routes to parenthood.

We hope you’ve found our content useful and have either incorporated it into your resources or shared it with your team. If not, now’s the perfect time to do so!

This series is a comprehensive ‘How to’ guide, offering insights into the challenges of family building and how to address them in the workplace. 

 In this episode, we’re thrilled to welcome back Mike Johnson-Ellis, who spoke at The F Word at Work live summit, as part of our intersectionality panel and is one of our guest speakers when we are working with our member organisations.

Mike previously shared his impactful story on our podcast and is one half of Two Dads UK with his partner Wes, has made significant contributions to the surrogacy community. Together, they founded My Surrogacy Journey (MSJ) and the Modern Family Show. At Fertility Matters at Work, we’re delighted to partner with MSJ, and you can learn more about this collaboration in our discussion. 

Here’s a glimpse into our conversation: 

• Mike outlines the key concerns for employees navigating surrogacy, including the need for upfront communication and the psychological impacts of sharing personal information with their employer. 
• We delve into the complexities of surrogacy, such as coordinating schedules between intended parents, surrogates, and potential egg donors, and how these challenges can impact work. 
• Mike discusses the current perceptions of surrogacy compared to IVF, highlighting the need for greater awareness and acceptance in the workplace. 
• Mike provides practical advice for managers and colleagues on creating a supportive environment for those going through surrogacy, including fostering trust and flexibility. 
• We explore the broader challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community in their surrogacy journeys, emphasising the need for empathy and understanding. 

Thank you to Mike for sharing his insights and to our listeners for tuning in! We encourage you to use the information from this episode to enhance your support for colleagues facing fertility and surrogacy challenges. 

If you're reading this before 20th November 2024, you can still register for our next webinar here

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