The Group has officially announced additional support for any of our people undergoing fertility treatment, suffering pregnancy loss or experiencing the menopause.
The new support includes an additional 10 days of paid ‘special leave’ for staff undergoing fertility treatment. This provision is gender-neutral and will also apply to the partners of individuals going through treatment. Crucially, there will not be a limit in place around a set number of treatment cycles.
Charlotte Evans of Calico Enterprise, underwent a gruelling 9 rounds of fertility treatment with her partner before becoming pregnant with their first child several years ago. On the announcement, Charlotte said, “When you come to work and know you are supported, you can open up and share what’s going on for you. and then essentially park it and get on with the rest of your day with some relief from the weight that fertility treatment brings. When you can’t park it, it consumes your whole day. The fact that it’s on paper gives it recognition and opens the door for people to access support.”
This ‘special leave’ provision is also available to those dealing with pregnancy loss. Again, this support will be gender-neutral and apply to the partners of those who were pregnant and surrogate pregnancies.
There is also additional support for those going through the menopause and those who are perimenopausal. The support includes flexible working hours, short notice leave requests and working from home where possible.
Anthony Duerden said the aim of the support is to ensure we “support our people both personally and financially. We know that our colleagues believe that being a good employer is about significantly more than just pay.”
