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HR SUPPORT

Employers and IVF

Are you interested in supporting your employees with their reproductive health? We are passionate advocates with unrivalled experience and work with leading experts across the world. Find out how we can help you and your team.

Our HR expert Gillian Etherington on the number of reasons why, as an employer, you should understand how IVF treatment can affect your employees and find ways to support your employees through this.

Employer of Choice

In order to be an employer of choice and attract and retain talent, you need to ensure that your company has an attractive culture, the right leadership styles, high engagement and is an inclusive organisation. Reputation is key here and employers being supportive in areas such as IVF, go a long way in increasing your reputation as a good company to work for and one that future talent wants to work for.

Why should employers be understanding and supportive of their employees going through IVF treatment?

Duty of Care & Health and Safety

First and foremost is that as a business, you have a duty of care to your employees in terms of their health and safety. A woman undergoing IVF, is considered pregnant from when the fertilised ova is transferred back into the uterus. At this stage, she will have the same rights of additional protection (including health and safety) afforded to her as to any other pregnant employee, regardless of whether the IVF is successful or not. Penalties for failing to be compliant in this area are particularly high.

Potential Discrimination

Sex discrimination or pregnancy and maternity discrimination could apply here. As we see from above, a woman undergoing IVF treatment is not considered pregnant until the fertilised ova is transferred back into the uterus. As from this point, she will have the same protection rights as any other pregnant employee under pregnancy and maternity discrimination. However before this stage, i.e. in the early stages of IVF, she will be protected from sex discrimination, if she can show that she was adversely treated in comparison to a male colleague. Discrimination claims are particularly complex with an unlimited compensation cap and hugely damaging reputationally wise.

Confidentiality

It is important to understand your responsibilities around confidentiality. Any health data is classed as “personal” data under GDPR which means that it is subject to more stringent rules in how that data is handled. It is important that employers understand this and set provisions in place for ensuring that this data is kept safe and secure, deleted when necessary and is not shared with anyone unless it is absolutely essential for business purposes.

HR support

Supporting your team through IVF treatment

How can we help you to manage and support your employees going through IVF treatment?

By ensuring that you have an understanding of IVF and how it can impact your employees. The right policies and processes in place to manage someone going through IVF treatment. Providing online training videos for your managers so they are equipped to deal with all aspects of handling employees going through IVF treatment in a sensitive and supportive way. And last but not least, by providing risk assessments so you can correctly assess the risk at work.

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Learn what Babble Fertility can bring to your employees. Are you interested in supporting your employees with their reproductive health? We are passionate advocates with unrivalled experience and work with leading experts across the world. Find out how we can help you and your team.But first, tell us a little about yourself.

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Are you interested in supporting your employees with their reproductive health? We are passionate advocates with unrivalled experience and work with leading experts across the world. Find out how we can help you and your team.

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