Emotional, financial fallout from infertility can affect employees in workplace

Infertility issues can have an impact in the workplace as well as in the home. Employees struggling with infertility can experience mental health challenges, reduced productivity and financial debt.

Related: Fertile ground for fertility benefits – with Peter Nieves

Carrot, a fertility benefits provider for employers, recently teamed up with RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association to survey employees. Among the findings:

COVID-19 didn’t slow down family forming and, in some cases, accelerated it. The pandemic largely did not affect family forming plans — just 8% said they are delaying parenthood. For at least some respondents, the pandemic accelerated their decision-making. Ten percent of respondents decided to start fertility treatments because of the increased convenience of doing so while working from home.

Although there has been progress bringing fertility conversations out in the open, stigmas remain in the workplace. Although survey respondents generally felt comfortable discussing fertility and family forming with friends, they reported that these topics are rarely talked about in the workplace, whether among colleagues, between employees and their managers, or by leadership.

People are aware of fertility benefits, but coverage varies, is confusing and doesn’t include all paths to parenthood. A majority of respondents (79%) were aware of fertility benefits, and more companies offer fertility benefits each year. But many employees remain uncovered, and for those who do have some fertility coverage, options often are limited and confusing. Thirty percent of employees who have fertility benefits are unsure who in the company is covered. Nearly one-third of respondents wouldn’t feel comfortable bringing up the topic of fertility benefits with their employer for reasons ranging from not knowing whom they should talk with to concerns over confidentiality.

Fertility and family forming affect employee mental health. One study found that half of women and 15% of men said infertility was the most upsetting experience of their lives. Not only does it make the pursuit of parenthood that much more overwhelming, but it also can trigger a flood of emotions, such as shame, guilt and low self-esteem. These emotions, in turn, eventually may lead to varying degrees of depression and anxiety, both of which can have cascading effects on work and family life.

Fertility and family forming support affect productivity and influence career decisions. More than three-fourths of employees would stay at their company longer if their employer offered fertility benefits. A large majority (88%) even would consider changing jobs for access to fertility benefits, and 74% said they’ve spent time researching fertility treatments and family forming while at work.

People will pay for fertility and family forming, but there are lasting financial implications. Fertility and family forming care often are financially out of reach, because most people have to pay out-of-pocket for medical treatment and services. Nearly 70% of people will dip into, if not drain, their savings or go into debt to pursue parenthood.

Leadership demographics have little impact on the likelihood of offering fertility support. There is no correlation between women and parents in leadership and companies that offer fertility benefits.

“For those who experience infertility or the challenges of family forming of any kind, the silence can preclude them from seeking the support they need from their employers,” the survey report said. “And with one-third of our lives spent at work and the majority of Americans receiving health insurance through their employer, it makes sense that the workplace plays an important part of a support system.”

Read more: 

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