Business Briefing: Handling Reproductive Health

We are delighted to invite you to our next ‘Business Briefing’, with Brabners, to discuss how reproductive health impacts your employees and the business, the current legal position, and what practical steps you can take to support employees and protect your organisation.

Whilst we have made great strides in the Employment and HR sphere in raising awareness and breaking stigma in the workplace, particularly around menopause and mental health over recent years, there remains a notable stigma around reproductive health. Reference to ‘reproductive health’ is wide ranging and includes menstruation right through to the menopause, but also includes other topics such as fertility, baby loss, hidden conditions (including endometriosis), all of which are underpinned by a huge impact on mental health and wellbeing.

It is inevitable that most employees will be affected by reproductive health at some point during their working life, whether directly or indirectly and therefore, it is also inevitable that businesses too are indirectly impacted by this. In particular, businesses may be unaware of the impact reproductive health can have on levels of absenteeism, loss of productivity, low morale, as well as recruitment and retention.

In recent years, society has managed to break down stigmas and somewhat champion pregnancy and maternity in the workplace (which is assisted by clear legal obligations), but hasn’t been able to do this with other parts of the reproductive health life cycle.