Family-friendly benefits & beyond: A Q&A with Shelly MacConnell

Employers are recognizing that expanding family-friendly benefits beyond what is required by federal law is a significant trend that helps safeguard their employees’ physical and mental health. Employers can extend family-friendly benefits through paid parental leave, paid adoption leave, surrogacy benefits, family building (i.e. IVF, egg freezing, etc.), period leave, menopause benefits and more.

Shelly MacConnell, Chief Strategy Officer at WIN, a leading family and fertility benefits provider, discusses how companies are expanding traditional work benefits and how fertility benefits work.

How do family-friendly benefits, such as paid parental leave and adoption leave, contribute to the overall wellbeing of employees?

Family-friendly benefits are the earmark of an organization that cares about its employees, and which has a direct link to employee performance, retention, and attraction. A recent Mercer study showed that 78% of employees believe their employer cares about their health and wellbeing and reported that they are thriving.

The vast majority of the US workforce is juggling demands at work and at home. Currently, millennials comprise the largest segment of the US workforce and they are in the primary years for building families and/or are looking for resources to support the wellbeing of their families. Family-friendly benefits have been proven to increase employee retention and to attract new talent. This is deemed true for employees who are seeking out those specific benefits along with those that are not but recognize the benefit offerings as an indication of the culture and values of the organization.

In what ways can employers support employees’ family-building efforts, such as IVF and egg freezing, fertility counseling and why is this trend gaining significance?

The trends toward employers offering fertility benefits have been increasing for years and are showing no signs of slowing down. One in eight couples struggle with fertility, whether it be same sex couples, single parents by choice or people preserving their fertility for future use through egg and sperm freezing – the demand for this benefit has never been higher. At the same time this can be a complex and clinical journey and the value of having access to fertility-trained nurses to support patients on their journey has proven to be a popular benefit that increases employee comfort and improves treatment outcomes.

Could you elaborate on the impact of family wellbeing benefits, specifically focusing on how they contribute to the mental health of employees?

The journey to parenthood can be financially, physically, and emotionally taxing. It can involve uncertainty and strain and hormonal self-injections and painful treatments which includes grief and loss, repeatedly over months and years. This can have a significant impact on the mental health of employees and the people in their support system. Access to mental health care specialists who understand this unique grief is a vital resource and a core component of a benefit offering. Some employers have also begun to extend their bereavement policies to include pregnancy loss and other losses that have traditionally not been recognized in the workplace.

What are some innovative approaches that employers are adopting to provide support for maternal benefits and how does it positively affect their workforce? For example, location support, extended parental leave, services like breast pumping stations and postpartum counseling go a long way with retaining top talent – what are you seeing that companies are doing to boost employee morale?

Yes, we see all these things in the workforce. Employers are thinking about this in terms of the unique needs of maternity with an emphasis of deliberate career planning and return to work programs that are supportive and recognize the unique needs of new mothers and parents. The most advanced employers are also approaching this more inclusively to allow for parental leave and recognize the challenges of new parents across the board. We are also seeing more employers search for talent among parents that have been staying at home parents for more extended periods of time and are making a later return to the workforce. In aggregate we see employers developing more flexible programs that can meet the multiple and diverse needs of different populations.

In women in their later 40s to 50s, how can the inclusion of menopause benefits contribute to a more inclusive and supportive workplace culture?

Too many women face a long and frustrating search for menopause care, and many don’t even know that it is available. Menopause can impact nearly every system in the body and can significantly impact cardiovascular health and longevity. Lack of research, funding, and specialized training often lead to women being misdiagnosed, untreated, and underserved. A recent Yale study showed that nearly 75% of women who seek help for significant menopausal symptoms do not receive it. According to AARP, 80% of graduating internal medicine residents (who often provide primary care for adults) did not feel competent to treat or even discuss menopause.

Related: The benefits of building a more female-friendly and inclusive workplace

Lack of menopause care isn’t just a health care issue – it is a business issue. Perimenopause and menopause strike when women are providing significant contributions to any workforce – including at the highest levels. The disparities within women’s health care derail women at the peak of their careers — negatively impacting businesses at large. And many employers may not even realize the impact on their own workforce.

In a recent national study, “Women in the Workplace,” found that:

• 40% of women aged 50-65 said that menopause symptoms impacted their work performance or productivity at least once a week
• 20% reported it was daily or multiple times per day
• 17% have considered leaving their job related to these symptoms
• And most have not spoken with their employer about it and are suffering in silence at work.

That does not even include those in perimenopause and menopause prior to age 50. In many people perimenopause symptoms begin in their mid-30s. Employers can change this dynamic by offering menopause benefits that provide access to specially trained professionals. These experts can help navigate the clinical complexities with a true understanding of the underlying causes, possible treatments, and approaches.