This fantastic post from Elizabeth Willetts summarises perfectly what it feels like to go through fertility treatment and try and combine that with having a career. To all employers still contemplating whether they should support their employees - men and women! - on their individual path to parenthood, read this post. It is your social responsibility to support employees during this life stage. But more importantly - it pays off for you! - Better employee (mental) health - More motivated and loyal employees - Women more likely to return after maternity leave - Better retention - A more attractive employer brand A clear Win-Win.
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The only thing that affected my career more than having a baby.... Was wanting a baby...and it not happening... - Can you attend this networking event? I'm halfway through an IVF cycle and need to get home to inject myself with about 50 million hormones 💉 - Make this work trip? Ummm, it's right in my ovulation window, and it's my last chance before IVF! - I hate my job and want a new challenge, but if I apply somewhere else, I might, by some miracle, get pregnant and lose my enhanced maternity benefits. 🤷♀️ - Go for that promotion? I'm about to start fertility treatment - I need time off for that, and if I do get pregnant, I'll be on maternity leave for a year. Am I the best person to lead the team? - Do this presentation? I've just found out we're having another miscarriage. The last thing I want to do is stand up in front of 20 people and plaster a fake smile on my face 😢 - Attend some additional training? All my brain space is taken up Googling reasons for my infertility - I don't think it has the space to learn anything new. 1 in 6 couples suffers from infertility, and 1 in 4 pregnancies ends in loss. This week is #babylossawarenessweek. Baby loss and infertility can be seen as taboo and not often discussed - especially at work. But up and down the country, people will be going through the most extraordinarily difficult circumstances and torturing themselves with all the above questions and more. If you're trying for a baby or experiencing loss, and your life and career feel like it's on hold, I see you ❤️ And if you're an Employer, is there anything more you can do to support the 1in6 and 1in4 to maintain a career whilst juggling treatment and loss? Have you heard of any good fertility or baby loss policies that Employers have implemented? Let us know in the comments 👇