The Calico Group has introduced additional support for staff experiencing miscarriage, menopause and fertility treatment.
From this month (December), employees at the Burnley, UK-based support services provider can benefit from 10 days of paid special leave if affected by pregnancy loss or fertility treatment, and flexible arrangements if going through the menopause.
The fertility provision, which is gender neutral and will also apply to the partners of individuals having treatment, is not limited to a set number of treatment cycles.
Additionally, the support has been extended to partners of those coping with miscarriage, and covers surrogate pregnancies.
Assistance for perimenopausal employees will be provided in the form of flexible working hours, short notice leave requests and the ability to work from home where possible.
The group’s social housing service, which previously achieved Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance accreditation, offers additional leave should staff require support with domestic abuse. It has also made a number of training sessions available to help raise awareness of the menopause, so employees at all levels of the business can understand the impact it has.
Anthony Duerden, chief executive of The Calico Group, said the aim of all of the available support was to ensure the business supported staff both personally and financially when they needed it the most.
He explained that staff believe being a good employer is about significantly more than just pay.
"While we hope that colleagues would have been given this support already, we feel it is important to communicate this commitment to all our people," he said. "We want to create an environment where those in need of additional support feel comfortable in coming forward to ask for it."
