On 14 September 2023, the Fawcett Society published guidance on fertility at work. The guide, aimed at employers, was created in partnership with TotalJobs.

Some key findings published in the guidance include:

• 4 in 5 women think it is important to facilitate open and safe conversations around fertility in the workplace
• 68% of employees who went through fertility treatment did not tell their HR department and 59% did not tell their manager
• 43% of employees who went through fertility treatment were faced with negative comments from colleagues about their infertility

The guidance highlights the benefits for employers in adopting a fertility friendly workplace. These include increased retention, improved absence manager and engagement from employees.

The guidance also includes some recommendations for employers to consider:

• Employers should look at upskilling and training their managers so they feel confident and comfortable to have open discussions with their teams.
• Putting the employer’s approach around this topic in print as a standalone policy. This should include provisions around confidentiality, employees’ entitlements to leave whether they are the person undergoing treatment or supporting a partner or family member and set out a clear process for how an employee can request leave for fertility treatment.
• Make it clear in job adverts what fertility related benefits the employer offers.
• Review and update as necessary the wellbeing resources and initiatives in place and consider whether any specific ones for employees experiences infertility need to be added.