The F Word at Work

Welcome to episode 3 of The F Word at Work from Fertility Matters at Work ( FMAW) which we are sharing with you one week after the three of us, Natalie, Becky and Claire went to Parliament to join our guest Nickie Aiken as she launched the Fertility Workplace Pledge. Nickie is the Conservative MP for the Cities of London and Westminster and along with the pledge, is bringing forward a private members bill for people undergoing fertility treatment.

The episode was recorded in the summer following the first reading of Fertility Treatment (Employment rights ) bill and was a conversation between Nickie, Natalie ( FMAW) and Kate Davies who is our medical advisor at FMAW. Thanks once again to our series sponsor Apricity.

 What was discussed:

• How Nickie learnt of this issue from one of her constituents who was forced out of a job and had to agree on a NDA which left a nasty taste in her mouth and she came to Nickie as she didn’t want anyone else going through it.  
• How it’s the last taboo when it comes to maternal services 
• The misconception is that IVF is needed solely by career women in their 40s who have had their careers and now want a career, but it also affects women in their 20s and 30s.  
• How she hopes to ensure colleagues can support others who might be going through it
• How Nickie was surprised to be talking to a big company who she spoke to about the Bill and they were surprised they didn’t have a policy  
• Whilst there isn’t an employment bill that this can slot into and whilst ideally we shouldn’t need a law, Nickie highlights why we need a law in order for people to be better supported.  
• Following the first reading of the Bill has happened Nicky did a speech in Parliament which you can read here
• Within the Women’s Health Strategy launched earlier in the summer, Nickie made sure IVF and fertility treatment was included and she believes this means the argument about women’s health is a priority has been won.  
• Baroness Anne Jenkins made a speech listing every medical situation a girl goes through.  
• Launch of the Fertility Workplace Pledge  
• What Nickie thinks the impact of the Write to your MP campaign  will be

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Welcome to episode 2 of the F Word at Work podcast, where all three co-founders, Natalie, Becky and Claire are here once again to discuss male infertility and how traditional gender roles play a huge part in why men are less likely to discuss or seek help for their mental health and what the workplace can do to address this issue. We'll be talking with our guest Shaun Greenaway, a male fertility advocate who was diagnosed with azoospermia due to having Mumps in his 20s. After having to go through invasive procedures whilst working for the Met Police, Shaun had to go down the donor conception route to have his family. His experience has had a profound effect on him and he is now a proud Dad of twins and the founder of Knackered Knackers where he is continuing to build an amazing support platform for men dealing with infertility.

Huge thanks to our series sponsors Apricity

 What was discussed: 

• Shaun talks about the difficulties to open up in a male-dominated work environment and how he felt if he did he would be ‘cannon fodder’
• He hid the appointments with multiple dentist appointments - but how many can you realistically have 
• How infertility is always seen as a female issue, especially in the workplace
• Shaun’s experience was a positive one once he finally disclosed to his male counterparts 
• He still didn’t feel confident sharing with all of his colleagues due to how society behaves around Men showing vulnerability
• He decided to set up Knackered Knackered his own support group which has grown from strength to strength 
• How more needs to be done around the stigma of men talking about these issues 

Find out more about Knackered Knackers

You can also find support via this Male only facebook group

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Welcome to the first episode of The F Word at Work, a conversation for busy HR, D&I and well-being leads with the aim to open your minds to the vast topic of fertility at work and why it really matters for employees and businesses too.

Today you'll hear from all three co-founders Natalie Silverman, (your host) Becky Kearns and Claire Ingle sharing their thoughts on this new podcast series and what it is setting our to achieve and you'll hear our first conversation with a thought leader within the workplace wellbeing space, Zoe Sinclair, founder of Employees Matter.

Huge thank you to our series sponsors Apricity

What was discussed:

• The origins of Employees Matter
• How This Can Happen came about - the workplace mental health conference
• How these well-being and mental health conversations evolve
• How workplaces overcome fears of using certain language, such as 'stress'.
• The response to putting our workplace webinar on suicide from the huge number of organisations that signed up to be on the call and how many people shared their experiences.
• What is happening in terms of new conversations - how organisations are viewing the family-building conversation
• What companies need to think about to manage it all.

Find out more about Zoe and Employees Matter here

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Brought to you by Fertility Matters at Work CIC this conversation hopes to offer you an insight into the many challenges people face when trying to manage the day to do of working life, whilst trying to start or complete their family.

With 1 in 6 couples and 1 in 7 people dealing with fertility issues, the impact of fertility challenges is vast and the people who might be struggling are diverse.

At Fertility Matters at Work we strive to guide the workplace into better supporting people going through this, by ensuring all managers, HR and well-being leads understand the complexity of this issue.

We want to make sure people feel confident having these sensitive conversations with those going through this and that the people affected feel safe enough to disclose what is happening to them. Equally, by raising awareness internally with our range of live discussions and training we aim to achieve a cultural shift where fertility issues are recognised. We help colleagues feel able to support one another and collectively make the workplace a great place to be.

Do you have a question you'd like us to answer in our next episode? If so email us at [email protected]. Please put 'F Word at Work' in the subject header.

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