Around one in six couples in the UK will experience difficulties conceiving. This equates to approximately 3.5 million people across the country and around 84% of those will successfully conceive after trying for 12 months. If you haven’t been successful after 12 months of trying you should consult your GP and if you are aged over 35 or know that you have a fertility problem, you should seek help earlier*.
SBG are a fertility friendly employer and are taking steps to support employees who go through this, working with the Fertility Network UK.
*Content from Fertility Network UK
30 October 2023 marks the start of National Fertility Awareness Week. It’s a subject that many may find uncomfortable, or be unsure how to talk about with colleagues, friends and family. To kick-start the conversation, take a look at these facts about fertility.
At SBG we have a range of fertility resources, support and benefits including:
Flexible working and paid time off for treatment.
Fertility hub on the company intranet for employees and managers.
Counselling available through our employee assistance programme.
Bereavement counselling for UK colleagues experiencing loss.
Wellbeing Champions across the business, here to help colleagues struggling with mental health.
Nutritionist sessions and gym access for UK colleagues.
Up to six weeks’ leave for India-based colleagues going through a still birth or a miscarriage.
If you’re about to start fertility treatment, you might feel overwhelmed by how much there is to think about. Get an overview of what to expect from the start to the end of your treatment.
If you’re a LGBT+ person or couple and want to have a family with a biological connection to you or your partner, you may need to have fertility treatment. Get an overview of what to expect on this page.
If you're a woman over 38, success rates for fertility treatments can be much lower. Get an overview of success rates for different treatments and explore other options such as using donated eggs or a surrogate.
If you’re single, you may be considering preserving your fertility or having fertility treatment without a partner. Find out what your options are so you can make an informed decision about your future.
If you have a genetic disease in your family, there are various embryo screening options and treatments that could allow you to have children free from the disease. Find out all your options for having a safe and healthy family.
If you're thinking about preserving your fertility, whether through choice or because you could be at risk of losing your fertility, it's worth finding out about the different treatments and their success rates.
Content and links from the Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority (HFEA)
Nickie Aiken, Member of Parliament for the Cities of London and Westminster, has introduced a Bill through Parliament to get better workplace support for people going through IVF.
In Nickie's latest podcast, she was joined by Anya Sizer from Fertility Network UK, and racing driver Toby Trice to discuss this further.
Find out more about Nickie's fertility bill here or become an fertility ambassador in your workplace through the campaign here
Zurich Insurance were one of the first companies to sign up to my recently launched Fertility Workplace Pledge — the idea behind it is to get employers of all shapes and sizes to sign up to a set of basic principles that improve the workplace rights for people going through treatment. MP Nickie Aiken hosted their Head of People, Steve Collinson, on her community podcast to explain why they signed up and how it is going.
Listen to MP Nickie Aiken's Zurich interview
Red Arc provide added value support services through a number of insurers, such as Royal London. Just one of a number of added value service providers insurers use, and the below illustrates what someone might get if they need support – other services may differ.
Read the case study of infertility support
Learn more around the broad subject of infertility, its impact and touch points using the resources below.
Other employers can follow SBG's footsteps and work with Fertility Network UK and / or FertilityMattersatWork and join MP Nickie Aiken's Fertility Friendly employer scheme in advance of the Fertility Bill.