Fertility Benefits Can Boost Employee Attraction, Retention and Productivity
This article is from RISQ Consulting’s Zywave client portal, a resource available to all RISQ Consulting clients. Please contact your Benefits Consultant or Account Executive for more information or for help setting up your own login.
Work and family are traditionally two of the most significant aspects of an employee’s life. Unfortunately, family planning doesn’t always go as intended. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 in 6 people struggle with fertility issues. This can make the journey to parenthood costly, stressful and challenging. So, it’s not surprising that stress from family planning often impacts employees’ work performance. A 2023 survey by fertility care platform Carrot found that 65% of employees said they spent time at work researching fertility treatments, benefits and family planning, and 55% said fertility challenges had detrimentally impacted their work performance.
Fertility issues contribute to presenteeism, a term that describes employees who are less productive due to personal distractions. In addition to negatively impacting employee morale, engagement and performance, presenteeism is costly for employers. Harvard Business Review reports that presenteeism costs the U.S. economy more than $150 billion yearly in lost productivity, far exceeding absenteeism costs. Employers that provide fertility benefits may notice that employees are more engaged, productive and likely to stay at the organization long term.
This article provides an overview of common fertility benefits and how employers can leverage them to boost employee retention, attraction and productivity.
What Is Infertility?
Infertility has been recognized as a disease by the WHO and the American Medical Association since 2017. It’s defined as the inability to conceive after a full year of trying without contraceptives. Both men and women are affected by infertility. However, individuals don’t always show identifiable signs of infertility, making this condition difficult to diagnose.
There are two types of infertility: primary and secondary. Primary infertility refers to individuals who have never achieved pregnancy, while secondary infertility refers to individuals who have had at least one prior pregnancy. As a result, infertility can affect individuals who are both starting and adding to their families. This spans a wide age range of employees, who make up a crucial percentage of the workforce. Employers that provide comprehensive fertility benefits can greatly improve the retention and attraction of this talented demographic.
Reasons Employees Pursue Fertility Treatment
There are numerous causes of infertility. Although knowing the reason for infertility doesn’t guarantee a medical solution, it can help individuals understand their medical options if they’re struggling to conceive. The following are common conditions that cause individuals to seek fertility treatment:
- Ovulation disorders—Numerous conditions can prevent or drastically lower the chances of ovulation. This means fewer eggs are present, which may force individuals to seek infertility treatments, such as in-vitro fertilization (IVF).
- Uterine fibroids—Fibroids are benign tumors in the uterus that can interfere with pregnancies. These become more common as women age, especially during their 30s and 40s.
- Endometriosis—When uterine tissue grows outside of the uterus, it can cause severe pelvic pain and affect how reproductive organs function.
- Genetic disorders—Individuals concerned about passing on genetic disorders to their children may opt for procedures (e.g., IVF) that allow doctors to screen eggs in a lab for genetic disorders before reinserting them into the uterus.
- Fertility preservation—Some treatments, such as chemotherapy, can reduce fertility. As a result, some individuals who must undergo these treatments may choose to preserve some of their eggs or sperm for fertilization later on.
Insurance plans often exclude same-sex couples or single parents by choice. Employers have an opportunity to read the fine print on plans and design fertility benefits that support modern family building.
The Cost of Infertility
According to Forbes, a single IVF cycle can cost more than $30,000. Furthermore, IVF doesn’t guarantee a pregnancy. On the contrary, research by the University of New South Wales Sydney in 2017 found that women have a 54%-77% chance of having a baby by their eighth IVF cycle. As a result, the cost of fertility treatments is a source of financial stress for those who are hoping to start a family.
The 2023 Carrot survey found that just 32% of individuals could afford fertility treatment if needed. To start a family, nearly half of the respondents were willing to take another job, 29% would need to go into debt and 39% said they would dip into their savings to afford fertility treatments. Struggling to conceive, taking on debt and worrying about paying for fertility treatment can contribute to lost productivity at work, increased stress and presenteeism. It can also strain employees’ relationships and contribute to feelings of shame, inadequacy and guilt. This can harm employees’ mental health and worsen underlying mental illness, such as anxiety and depression. Individuals who struggle to conceive also commonly report feeling isolated and that they’re not in control. This can greatly impact how an employee performs at work, including more missed workdays and greater distractions when working.
What Are Fertility Benefits?
When it comes to providing fertility benefits, employers can elect to pay a portion of infertility treatment costs as a voluntary benefit or cover specific treatments under their health plan. The right choice will depend on employee preferences and the organization’s budget. Employers may choose to cover a variety of fertility treatments to help employees with family-building, such as:
- IVF—This procedure involves egg retrieval, fertilization and an embryo transfer. It is relatively invasive and, like most treatments, can be very expensive. However, IVF remains a common fertility method.
- Intrauterine insemination (IUI)—Artificial insemination has been around for decades and is one of the most popular options for individuals who need help conceiving. IUI is a type of artificial insemination. While there are many methods of artificial insemination, they all involve manually injecting semen into the uterus or cervix with medical devices.
- Surgery—Procedures to remove ovarian cysts, clear fallopian tubes, remove adhesions from the uterus and collect semen from individuals who cannot otherwise produce it can all help resolve infertility issues.
- Medications—There are a variety of medications, both prescription and over the counter, that can help increase fertility. Medications can stimulate ovulation, promote healthier egg growth, improve sperm count and prevent premature ovulation. Egg and sperm donors are also an option.
The Importance of Fertility Benefits
Most states don’t require private insurers to cover infertility treatment, making employer-provided fertility benefits even more important and valuable to workers. Fertility benefits can help employees start a family without going into debt or suffering undue financial stress, which makes them highly desired by employees. According to Carrot, 65% of employees said they’d change jobs to work for an organization that provided fertility benefits, and 72% said they’d continue working at an organization longer if it provided such benefits. Additionally, 3 in 4 respondents said fertility benefits were an important part of an inclusive company culture.
Many employers are responding with improved family planning support amid growing interest in fertility benefits that provide support for all types of families. According to the State of Fertility and Family Benefits in 2023 Report by Maven, of nearly 600 surveyed HR professionals, 63% said they planned to increase family health benefits in the next few years and 87% recognized family benefits as “extremely important” to current and prospective employees. This is largely due to family-building benefits’ impact on employees’ mental health, performance and loyalty.
Conclusion
Fertility struggles can negatively impact employees’ mental health, contribute to financial stress and increase presenteeism and absenteeism, which worsen job productivity. As employees continue to express interest in fertility benefits, employers who cover some or all of the costs of fertility treatments can experience significant improvements in productivity and satisfaction. It can also improve employee retention and help employers attract talented prospective employees.
Contact us today for more workplace resources.
- Published in Blog
Preparing for the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
This article is from RISQ Consulting’s Zywave client portal, a resource available to all RISQ Consulting clients. Please contact your Benefits Consultant or Account Executive for more information or for help setting up your own login.
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), which was signed into law on Dec. 29, 2022, will be in effect as of June 27, 2023. Under this law, employers with at least 15 employees must provide reasonable accommodations to workers with known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions unless the accommodation will cause the employer an “undue hardship.”
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will start accepting charges under the PWFA on the day the law becomes effective for situations complained about having happened on June 27, 2023, or later. However, according to a recent survey by leave and accommodation management solutions provider AbsenceSoft, 43% of HR leaders are either not at all or only somewhat familiar with the PWFA. Nearly half said their HR department is not at all prepared or just starting to prepare for the June 27 deadline. Therefore, to avoid the risks of fines and lawsuits, employers should take steps now to prepare for the PWFA.
This article provides a general outline of the PWFA and actions employers can take now to prepare for the new law.
What Is the PWFA?
The PWFA amends the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to require reasonable accommodations for a qualified individual’s limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions. This law only applies to accommodations since existing laws the EEOC enforces make it illegal to terminate or otherwise discriminate against workers on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions.
Importantly, the PWFA does not replace federal, state or local laws that are more protective of workers affected by pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions. Currently, more than 30 states and localities have laws providing accommodations for pregnant workers.
Who Does the PWFA Protect?
The PWFA protects employees and applications of covered employers who have known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth or other related medical conditions. Covered employers include private- and public-sector employers with at least 15 employees, including federal agencies, employment agencies and labor organizations.
Additionally, covered employers cannot:
- Require an employee to accept an accommodation without a discussion between the worker and the employer about the accommodation
- Deny a job or other employment opportunities to a qualified employee or applicant based on the person’s need for a reasonable accommodation
- Require an employee to take leave if another reasonable accommodation can be provided that would let the employee keep working
- Retaliate against an individual for reporting or opposing unlawful discrimination under the PWFA or participating in a PWFA proceeding, such as an investigation
- Interfere with any individual’s right under the PWFA
What Can Employers Do to Prepare for the PWFA?
Since the EEOC will accept PWFA complaints on the day the law becomes effective, it’s vital to review and become familiar with the law before June 27, 2023.
Employers can also prepare by reviewing their existing accommodation policies and revising them according to the PWFA’s requirements. Employers can even start engaging in the interactive process with covered employees and applicants who may need accommodations before the PWFA becomes effective. “Reasonable accommodations” are changes to the work environment or the way things are usually done at work. Employers are required to provide reasonable accommodations unless they would cause an “undue hardship” on the employer’s operations. An undue hardship is a significant difficulty or expense for employers.
Industry experts expect an increase in accommodation requests by pregnant employees once the PWFA becomes effective. Although the PWFA is modeled after the ADA, there are some critical differences. For example, under the ADA, employers aren’t required to modify the essential functions of a job to accommodate an employee. However, the PWFA allows employers to reevaluate a job’s essential functions in light of pregnancy, childbirth and other related medical conditions and make changes. Therefore, employers can prepare by becoming familiar with all reasonable accommodations outlined in the PWFA. For example, the House Committee on Education and Labor’s report on the PWFA provides several examples of possible reasonable accommodations, including the ability to:
- Sit or drink water
- Receive closer parking arrangements
- Have flexible hours
- Obtain appropriately sized uniforms and safety apparel
- Receive additional break time to use the bathroom, eat and rest
- Take leave or time off to recover from childbirth
- Be excused from strenuous activities that involve exposure to compounds not safe for pregnancy
Moreover, although the ADA, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Pump Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act safeguard the rights of pregnant workers and new parents to equal employment, the PWFA mandates that employers take further steps to accommodate employees. Therefore, organizations can prepare for the PWFA by training HR personnel and managers on the law’s requirements and proper handling of PWFA accommodation requests.
Takeaway
Since time is limited, employers should take steps now to ensure their organizations are sufficiently prepared for the PWFA. This can help employers to avoid fines and lawsuits and prepare to make needed accommodations that allow their employees to be productive and comfortable at work.
This article provides a general overview of the PWFA and is not intended to be exhaustive. Due to the complexities of complying with PWFA requirements, employers are encouraged to seek legal counsel to discuss specific issues and concerns.
Employers can explore the EEOC’s What You Should Know About the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act for more information.
Contact RISQ Consulting today for additional PWFA resources.
- Published in Blog
Resources To Help Find Infant Formula During The Shortage
This article is from RISQ Consulting’s Zywave client portal, a resource available to all RISQ Consulting clients. Please contact your Benefits Consultant or Account Executive for more information or for help setting up your own login.
To address the infant formula shortage amid medical device and health care company Abbott Nutrition’s voluntary recall of certain powdered infant formulas, the Biden administration is working to ensure that formula is safe and available for families across the country. President Biden spoke with several retailers and manufacturers—including Walmart, Target, Reckitt and Gerber—to discuss ways to get formula quickly and safely onto store shelves. He also announced a series of actions to make formula more accessible, including cutting red tape on the types of formula parents can buy, calling on the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general to crack down on price gouging and unfair market practices, and increasing formula supply through increased imports.
As a result, manufacturers have ramped up production by 30%-50%, bringing total production above pre-recall levels with a different mix of products and sizes now available in the market. Still, many families continue to encounter challenges obtaining infant formula—especially those dependent on specialty formulas, which are used by nearly 5,000 infants as well as some older children and adults with rare medical conditions.
If you cannot readily find formula, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) suggests consulting the following resources.
Manufacturer Hotlines
- Gerber’s MyGerber Baby Expert—Reach a certified nutrition or lactation consultant by phone, text, Facebook Messenger, web chat or video call who can help you identify a similar formula that may be more readily available.
- Abbott’s Consumer Hotline—Call 1-800-986-8540.
- Abbott’s urgent product request line—Ask your OB-GYN or your infant’s pediatrician to submit an urgent product request by downloading and completing this form.
- Reckitt’s Customer Service line—Call 1-800 BABY-123 (222-9123).
Community Resources
- Locate your nearest Community Action Agency (CAA)—Your neighborhood CAA may be able to provide you with formula or connect you with local agencies that have formula in stock.
- United Way’s 211—Dial 211 to be connected to a community resource specialist affiliated with United Way who may be able to help you identify food pantries and other charitable sources of local infant formula and baby food.
- Feeding America—Call your local food bank to ask whether they have infant formula and other supplies in stock.
- Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA)—Certain HMBANA-accredited milk banks distribute donated breast milk to mothers in need. However, take note that some milk banks may require a prescription from a medical professional. Click here to find an HMBANA-accredited milk bank.
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC)-eligible Families
- Contact your local WIC office to identify or obtain additional sources of infant formula nearby.
General Guidance
- Call your OB-GYN or pediatrician to see if they have in-office samples or can suggest a similar formula that may be more readily available in stores and is nutritionally similar to your infant’s typical formula.
- Refrain from watering down formula, trying to make formula at home or using toddler formula to feed infants. Don’t discard formula unless it is expired or is part of the recall. Check your formula’s lot code to see whether it was affected by the recall.
- Consult the American Academy of Pediatrics for more guidance.
Click here to read this information in Spanish.
- Published in Blog