Kellogg’s is to offer support, including paid leave and manager training, for staff experiencing menopause, fertility treatment and pregnancy loss.
The cereal giant, which employs 1,500 people in the UK, has launched a raft of measures to “break the silence” on issues often avoided in workplace conversations.
Staff experiencing the menopause at production facilities and its Manchester head office will be given more assistance and managers will be trained on how to talk about the subject.
Sam Thomas-Berry, Kellogg’s Europe vice-president for HR, said: “We want to offer employees increased support for those often-taboo issues like the menopause, fertility and pregnancy loss. Many people experience these issues, and the impact can be both physical and mental, but they aren’t discussed widely in the workplace.
“That’s why we’re launching several new workplace policies for even better equity and inclusion at Kellogg’s. We want to create a culture where people feel psychologically safe, so we’ll encourage colleagues to be allies to others impacted by these issues.”
Kellogg’s will train its people managers on the menopause, to deepen their understanding and to enable them to support affected team members with workplace adjustments, such as increased flexible working and occupational health support.
It will also offer paid leave for employees who suffer the loss of a pregnancy, whether it happens to them directly, to their partner or the baby’s surrogate mother. A doctor’s note will not be required.
There will also be extra paid time off and support for fertility treatment and pregnancy loss, including for partners and those using a surrogate mother.
According to the pregnancy charity Tommy’s, miscarriage happens in around a quarter of recognised pregnancies, with 85% of those happening in the first trimester.
Kellogg’s managers will be trained to recognise that time off for appointments relating to pregnancy loss will not be possible to arrange around the work demands and that flexibility will be important.
The policy package also includes benefits for staff – regardless of length of service – going through fertility treatment, whether for themselves or their partner. To support treatment Kellogg’s will give employees three periods of leave each year and provide access to a private space to administer treatment if necessary.
