'It must change' | Channel 4, NatWest & more are changing attitudes to staff fertility struggles

Major firms have signed a pledge to boost workplace support for employees going through fertility issues.

Household names like Metro Bank, NatWest, the Co-op, Channel 4 and UK Hospitality are among the companies backing the Fertility Workplace Pledge, a set of simple and voluntary commitments, designed to benefit millions of individuals and couples going through fertility treatment.

The campaign was launched last week in Parliament by Nickie Aiken, the MP for Cities of London and Westminster, and comes as 3.5 million people in the UK are struggling to conceive naturally. With treatment such as IVF being emotionally draining and costly, and the risks of complications, it can be a long process.

Juggling treatment and work is very tough. Many people are forced to deal with the side effects, risk of complications, and day-to-day practicalities in silence. They feel they cannot tell their employer for fear of being overlooked for promotion, having major projects taken off them, or being made redundant. Figures show that more than a third (36%) of people going through treatment have considered quitting their job.