Housing association introduces paid fertility leave for its team members

East Midlands housing association Futures Housing Group has introduced paid leave for colleagues going through fertility treatments as part of its broader approach to being a flexible and family-friendly employer of choice.

The supportive scheme means team members will receive paid time off for any medical appointments related to fertility treatments, and paid leave during any treatment cycle.

The new guidance also covers colleagues whose partners are receiving treatment, as well as compassionate leave for those who may sadly suffer an embryo transplant loss or miscarriage.

Laura Watkinson, Lead HR Adviser at Futures said: “Futures is always looking to improve the offer we make to our biggest asset, our people. We recognised a gap in our offering to those who were going through fertility treatment and felt we could try to make a difficult and potentially stressful period slightly less intense.

“We also went one step further in extending compassionate leave of up to five days for those who suffer loss at any stage of their pregnancy, whether conceived naturally or not.”

Currently there is no legislation in place for employers to give paid leave, and the legal parental bereavement leave many organisations have in place only covers pregnancies over 24 weeks.

Futures recognises there can be a huge physical, emotional and mental impact from any fertility journey and the organisation wants to take as much stress away from the process as it can.

Laura said: “Our offering is market leading, and the support given to get this guidance into place has been fantastic. It’s made me very proud of the place we work in, and it truly epitomises the fact that we always aim to do the right thing for our colleagues.

“I know that team members are already utilising this benefit and I hope that it will continue to support others in the future, if this becomes a relevant part of their personal journey.”