AUTHOR: Jessica Freedman BA
The rewards and benefits landscape has been rapidly evolving in the UK, including adoption of reproductive health benefits as an essential part of the benefits package. Here are a few recent trends to be aware of:
1. US employers are expanding benefits to the UK
Leading companies across industries, including PwC, Microsoft, Spotify, Channel 4 and ASOS have added to or expanded their fertility and menopause benefits in the past year. In the US, a 2021 survey by Mercer found that 61% of companies with more than 500 employees offer some level of fertility benefits, with the majority citing diversity & inclusivity as the main driver (Mercer).
With many global companies looking to expand and standardise their benefits offering across territories, the UK is seeing an increasing uptake of reproductive health benefits. In January of 2019, LinkedIn brought over its US policy to its UK employees offering up to £21,000 in fertility treatment. Now 82% of UK employers expect to enhance their fertility benefits programme (Fertility Network UK).
2. Reproductive health benefits will be as popular as mental health benefits
Following the paradigm shift in how society looked at psychological wellbeing, mental health benefits prevalence grew explosively in the US – from being offered at 34% of US companies in 2014 to 75% in 2018. A 2020 Piper Sandler report suggested that the adoption of reproductive health benefits across businesses will follow the same trend. Reproductive health and mental health are closely linked – it is estimated that 90% of people going through fertility struggles will experience an impact on their mental health (Fertility Network UK).
3. Increased focus on menopause
A 2017 UK government report revealed that menopausal women are the fastest-growing demographic in the workforce – one-third of the workforce is over 50 – and nearly eight in ten women going through menopause are in work. Research by Bupa and CIPD in 2019 found that almost a million women in the UK left their job in 2019 because of menopausal symptoms, catalysing a wave of companies announcing better support for those experiencing the menopause. Companies like Vodafone have been quick to voice their support and implement menopause policies to better support their workforce.
4. Increased cost saving recognition
Employers recognise the cost savings of implementing effective benefits. We estimate that lost productivity and employees exiting the workforce due to reproductive health issues currently costs employers around on average £4k per employee, per year.
- 31% of women suffer with a reproductive health issue, yet under half are seeking help (Public Health England).
- 4 out of 5 women aged 16-64 will have experienced a reproductive health symptom in past 12 months (Public Health England).
- 90% of people with fertility struggles report feeling depressed (Fertility Network UK).
- 68% of employees are willing to change jobs for fertility coverage (Reproductive Medicine Associates of New Jersey).
- 1 in 4 of women experiencing menopause consider leaving their jobs (GOV.UK).
- 59% of people experiencing menopause have lied to their boss about their absence (GOV.UK).
Hertility Benefits for Your Workforce
Hertility Health is shaping the future of reproductive health by giving women the ability to understand and manage their hormone health from menstruation to menopause. We believe in a proactive approach to reproductive health – by detecting issues early, we can prevent issues later down the line.
We partner with leading companies to deliver best-in-class reproductive health benefits and improve access to reproductive healthcare and education. We believe in personalised plans – for you and your employees – and offer a range of corporate plans and coverage options to suit your needs, from educational workshops, to female health assessments and consultations with in-house experts.
For early adopters that have existing fertility treatment benefits for employees, we help you protect that budget – our proactive hormone tests are a fraction of the clinic price and by identifying issues early we can prevent costly treatment. Where treatment is required, our blood tests are accepted by partner clinics and reduce time to treatment.
We provide DE&I impact reports, so you can see the tangible impact on your workforce and your bottom line.
Get in touch today. To learn more about Hertility Benefits For Employers, reach out to [email protected], or visit our website.