Businesses that don’t support their employees through IVF could be missing out on £217m in hidden costs | study shows Fertility problems
Research estimates that UK employers who do not formally support their employees undergoing fertility treatments could lose £217.3 million a year in sick leave, lost productivity and resignations.
Companies without fertility leave pay £35,317 per affected employee, compared with a cost of £388 for 10 days of paid leave when there is a clear fertility policy, according to campaign group Fertility Matters at Work. estimated.
“Employees currently do not have a legal right to take paid leave from work for fertility treatment,” said Alice MacDonald, the Labor MP for Norwich North, who will table the findings in a 10-minute bill in Parliament on Tuesday, in which she will put forward the introduction of a statutory right to paid leave for fertility appointments.
She added: “Changing the law is not just a moral imperative, it is an economic imperative. The current situation is bad for our society, bad for our economy, and bad for people who want to start or grow their families and need additional medical support to do so.”
Fertility Matters at Work magazine has calculated that employers lose £53.8 million each year through sick leave for appointments, which 63% of employees undergoing fertility treatment typically take to hide the procedure, and up to £27.8 million in lost productivity, with 73% of employees undergoing fertility treatment saying their performance has been affected. Meanwhile, employers pay an average of £30,614 to appoint a replacement for an employee who leaves due to a lack of support, as did 6%; While the Treasury loses £47.9 million in unpaid leave and resignations.
The report estimates that providing 10 days of paid fertility leave costs £388, which is cheaper than providing five days, which costs £434, due to productivity gains from carefully planned absences.
“Most companies choose the expensive option without realizing it, and employees pay the price in lost jobs and lost opportunities,” said Becky Cairns, CEO and co-founder of Fertility Matters at Work.
Nicole McCarley, who works in an administrative position at a private healthcare provider, took multiple periods of sick leave due to side effects of fertility drugs, which included dizziness, hot sweats and double vision. As a result, she had two disciplinary hearings and received no assurances that she would not lose her job or have her salary reduced despite explaining her position.
She said: “The fear of losing my income and the opportunity to start a family was overwhelming. I was always very worried about whether my job would be secure and how if I lost my job my hopes and dreams of starting a family would disappear due to the loss of my income. This also had a huge impact on my mental health.”
She raised the issue of fertility treatment with her former manager, who told her: “I don’t know what this is or how you want me to help you.”
“Deep down, I was hoping someone would say to me, ‘I know you’re having a hard time getting this opportunity, take your time and don’t worry about the work,'” she said.
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McCarley is now pregnant. “The protection I have now compared to before is crazy — I can’t fathom it,” she said, citing paid time off for appointments instead of having to use annual leave, her encouragement to take sick leave due to symptoms, and a compassionate attitude.
Laura* underwent six cycles of IVF, one of which resulted in a miscarriage. She said her mental health had been “severely affected”, including severe depression, anxiety, fatigue and insomnia. She now faces an absence review that could result in a formal warning, despite the fact that her miscarriage should have been considered a pregnancy-related illness and not counted as grounds for absence. “They won’t accept this – I’m devastated and wish I could leave but I can’t look for a new job,” she said.
Managers must create “open and supportive cultures where employees feel able to speak up and have flexibility without fear of stigma,” said Petra Wilton, policy director at the Chartered Institute of Management. “Employers risk losing good people because they don’t address a growing problem that affects more and more of our workforce every year,” she added.
A government spokesman said: “We have set out our urgent priorities for employment law reform in the Making Work Work Plan, which includes supporting those balancing work and treatment.
“We are strengthening the right to flexible working in our Employment Rights Bill, which will make it easier for employees and employers to agree arrangements that support attendance at medical appointments, including those for IVF.”
*Name has been changed