Fertility Matters at Work

Taking time to reflect is something we are getting better at doing at FMAW HQ and last week was another significant week for us, which we’ll share more about over the coming weeks 🙌 One highlight was being a part of a very special event put on by ASOS.com to make the launch of its Fertility and Baby Loss community. 🙏 We’ve been talking with ASOS.com for some time after the wonderful Jessica Ballard shared the launch of their policy and then the equally awesome Etmonia I. attended a round table event that we hosted. We have been so impressed with what the team have been working on, in terms of peer support to compliment the guidance put in place and how Jordan Ashton and his DE&I colleagues have all been working together to see how the conversation can evolve. Our co-founder Natalie Silverman was invited to host the conversation which saw brave Asosers James Dilley and Georgia Ioannou opening up infront of colleagues along with Betty Mukherjee talking about what it’s been like for her now she’s opened up about living with MRKH, having shared her inner most fears to brother James on the 📺 during S4 of Race Across the World. The discussion also showcased the ongoing hard work Tommy's is doing with Siobhan Quenby explaining more about the digital support tool that has been developed and Caroline Resende from Hertility was there to highlight how they will be working together.. It was a fine example of how employers can learn from their staff and implement the right kind of support 🙏

🎶 And all the roads we have to walk are winding And all the lights that lead us there are blinding 🎶 Dare you to read this 👆 without having the tune to 'Wonderwall' in your head. Also dare you to stop yourself being transported to a time you heard this tune. We bet you can't; because memories are attached to sounds/smells and they have the amazing ability to affect the Amygdala ( a part of the brain) which sits in the limbic system. Simply put it creates nostalgia and nostalgia can be negative as well as positive. For times like.... 💔 Being told you can't conceive naturally 💔 Failed Fertility Cycles 💔 Running out of treatment options 💔 Running out of money/ time/tears/emotional resilience for just ONE more attempt to have a baby 💔 Failed embryo transfers 💔 Chemical Pregnancies 💔 Missed Miscarriage 💔 Pregnancy Loss Those fuzzy days where memories are strong also have their opposites. The frustrating thing is that most of these sad events above are weaved in and around work- the 9-5's, the 10-7's, the midnight to 8am shifts. They exist if you are a police officer or an engineer, a midwife or a retail manager. If you're 20, 30 or 40. They exist in and amongst Team meetings, work nights out, team building events, lunches, presentations, deadlines, appraisals, flights across the Atlantic, stocktake and Audits. They also exist in silence. They exist in silence because organisations still don't get it. They don't see the struggles, therefore they do not exist. Don't be THAT organisation. Picture below taken: Tue 29th of November, 2016 after Claire's second failed cycle in Llangollen.

8 million babies born via fertility treatment worldwide since 1976.... and counting! That will roughly equate to 20 million+ cycles of treatment give or take a million! That equates to the ENTIRE population of Hong Kong, of Serbia, of Paraguay, of Bulgaria, of Singapore, of Finland, of Norway, of New Zealand, and many more. The vast MAJORITY of the people having this treatment would have been working at the same time. Isn't it about time we realised that this IS a workplace conversation?

As celebration weeks go...National Surrogacy week doesn't get as much fanfare as it deserves. #Surrogacy is a valid path to parenthood and helps so many people start or build their families when other options may not be available to them. Our in house expert on this topic is Claire who spends time chatting to a wide range of intended parents across the globe who are in need of work advice whilst navigating their Surrogacy Journey. Our narrative is,and always will be #education. So many organisations do not recognise this as part of their #inclusion agenda and more often than not, those using surrogacy feel 'left out' of work policies because they don't see their situation reflected in them. We are proud to partner with The Modern Family Show 2024 for the third year running to bring this education into more focus and make a difference in the world of work. Picture of Michael Johnson-Ellis and Wes ( founders of the MFS and My Surrogacy Journey ) with Mary Natalie Silverman and Claire Ingle at the show in 2022.

Most of our work is done virtually, but we do get together in real life a lot*. Weather doesn't matter either and we can adapt to either hot or cold climates so the Bahamas and Canada are all in scope! We have been in London more times than we can count and have also had the privilege of travelling to Copenhagen, Switzerland and Amsterdam in the last 18 months, with the opportunity for more European travel in the second half of the year to support the workplace fertility conversation. Yesssssssssssssss! What we are saying is - 'We're flexible' This isn't just being flexible in the 'where' and 'when'. it's also with the 'How'. Yes, we have business packages like anyone else, but our client relationships and 'how' we build and maintain them is the *centre* of what we do. We care about this conversation because we WERE this conversation once and that is so much more than words and what we sell to people. You won't find more passionate, empathetic, adaptable and intuitive people in this space. Thankyou for coming to our Ted Talk. *We are v.happy that we haven't fallen into an Ant and Dec type pattern where we always stand in the same position during photographs.

Fertility Matters July Round up 🙌 💻 Ran a webinar for VF Corporation 🤝 Partnered with The Stepstone Group 📜 Accredited Iris and Addleshaw Goddard as 'Fertility Friendly Employers' 🛫 Flew to Amsterdam to attend European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) and WON the a Fertility Care award for the BEST Non-Profit Fertility Project 2024 🏆 at the The European Fertility Society (EFS) 🙅♀️ Did some further collaboration with Mental Health Provider JAAQ. 👩🏫 Delivered a session on women's health in the workplace from the STEM world ( Thankyou Tracey Jones- so happy to have you in this space with us) 🏛 Restarted the parliamentary working group… but this time under a Labour Government. ✍ Tonnes of planning and organising for Fertility Week 2024- 👀 this space! And last, but not least, our very own Natalie Silverman took some much deserved time out of work and a rainy Manchester for a family holiday 🌞 Next Stop.......... #August Day 1 of another month of opportunities.

E.ON UK are doing fantastic work to become a fertility friendly employer and we are proud to partner with them. Having shared their best practice at our members roundtable last month, Rebecca Percy , Diversity and Inclusion Lead has shared this blog about why they are doing this important work and how they are implementing their project to create a cultural shift when it comes to opening up conversations and supporting those facing fertility struggles. Read more here https://lnkd.in/gpQaMbNC

Hello. 👋 We are Becky, Natalie and Claire. In early 2020, we all met in a pub in the Peak district after many Zoom calls (armed with a pile of post it notes and a 🌈 mix of sharpie markers). As good business strategies go, this wasn’t half bad, and that brain dumping afternoon gave us the basis of what we needed to achieve in the fertility space where the workplace was concerned. It did happen to collide with a global pandemic but we still worked furiously in the background to make our post it notes into reality. Fast forward 4 years and we are now working with some awesome GLOBAL clients on this conversation and have just won our first award! Us!!!!!!!!!! Fertility Matters at Work does exactly what is says on the tin. We educate and inspire businesses with an awareness of how fertility issues affect their employees and their organisation. We help everyone and anyone- even if your business is teeny tiny or it's spread across the globe. Fertility issues affect 1 in 6 people so it's kind of a done deal that there will be people in your place of work who experience this. We can help your business by bringing a hidden conversation into the open and, trust us, once this happens, it will GROW! We give you a 100% guarantee that from the moment this conversation is introduced you will see the ripple effect it has on your people and they will feel heard. Not only is this a conversation for the #wellbeing space, it is an emerging #DiversityandInclusion topic, it relates to has #Attraction #Engagement and #Retention and has a link to every single employee network group in your business. What's not to like? More importantly, WHY would you NOT want to chat to us

Congratulations to Addleshaw Goddard who have recently been accredited as a 'Fertility Friendly Employer'. In partnering with Fertility Matters at Work, Addleshaw Goddard have created an inclusive and supportive workplace for colleagues facing fertility challenges, ensuring that staff are supported during their fertility journey as well as helping to foster a culture of understanding & care throughout organisation. Mary Peterson , Head of Responsible Business at Addleshaw Goddard, said: "We are proud to lead the way as the first major law firm to achieve the Fertility Matters at Work 'Fertility Friendly' accreditation. We want to foster a workplace culture where colleagues who are facing fertility issues know that they have a support network around them and there are provisions in place to allow them to receive treatment and take the necessary time off to recover." It's been a pleasure working with Mary and Lina Zographou who have led on this important work and created such a supportive environment for their workplace.

This picture was taken during our co-founder Becky's own fertility journey (during IVF cycle 3 or 4) just before egg collection, all whilst trying to juggle a career and treatment with long-held hopes and dreams. Nine years on, this is still the silent reality for so many. It's World IVF day and we want workplaces to know that IVF isn't an 'elective' procedure, and it's so much more than just a few injections and scans. 💉 It's a medical treatment that as many as 1 in 6 people impacted by infertility worldwide (WHO) may need, and it’s due to circumstance that means people undergo IVF, it's not just a simple 'lifestyle choice' as it's sometimes portrayed. 🙏 It’s a medical treatment that gives a chance of a baby, sadly not a guarantee. 💔 It impacts people physically, emotionally and financially. 🕰 It can be a long journey for many with many hurdles to overcome. 🗣 It's a people issue that can affect anyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, relationship status or ethnicity. 🖥 It can be an all consuming process that is impossible to leave at the door when coming into work, whatever your job. Workplaces have a role to play in supporting those going through IVF (and other fertility treatments) with policy, guidance, awareness raising, training, peer support, emotional support and signposting. At Fertility Matters at Work we bring to life what it means to go through fertility treatment in the context of the workplace, whilst supporting organisations to put into place accessible guidance and policy, education for managers and support for peer networks. Ultimately we drive cultural and lasting change around the topic of fertility within the workplace. Get in touch to find out more about how we can support your organisation - https://lnkd.in/e5mD5APa