When Natalie Groot, an associate at the Mintz law firm, suffered a miscarriage, she decided to use her tragedy to help other employees dealing with loss.
Groot pushed for more specialized
“When she brought this idea forward, we immediately realized that we had a gap in our policies we needed to address,” says Heather Kelly, chief talent officer for Mintz.
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By mid-January, the firm had expanded its leave policy to include time off for losses including miscarriage, failed surrogacy, failed adoptions, or failed fertility treatments. The policy offers up to 15 consecutive days of fully paid leave following a miscarriage, and up to five days of
Groot is far from alone in dealing with the trauma of pregnancy loss: around 10% to 15% of pregnancies in women who know they are carrying end in a miscarriage, according to research from the March of Dimes. However, it is possible that as many as half of all pregnancies end in miscarriage since miscarriages can happen before a woman knows she is pregnant, according to the March of Dimes.
It isn’t easy for someone who suffered a miscarriage to speak openly about the experience, and a survey by Celmatix, a fertility-focused biotechnology company, found that 20% of women don’t even tell their partners they’ve gone through one. The fallout can lead to mental health issues like depression and anxiety, according to research from the University of Rochester Medical Center.
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However, as this topic becomes more commonplace, workplaces are responding with more
Mintz hopes the policy will help tackle the stigma around miscarriage and change the conversation around grief and loss.
“With this updated policy, Mintz takes a meaningful stance in destigmatizing pregnancy loss and aids employees as they grieve these profound losses, often taking place during the most critical years for career development,” Groot said in a release.
Mintz’s expanded leave policy doesn’t just apply to family planning losses. The benefit also expands the company’s existing bereavement leave policies. Employees will be provided paid time off up to 15 consecutive days following the death of a spouse, partner, or child. The firm is also offering paid leave of up to five consecutive days for the loss of other close relatives.
Not only do these policies offer support during times of need, but they serve as a powerful attraction and retention tool, Kelly says. It’s a lesson more organizations should heed if they want to support the talent they have today.
“If you're not prepared to take care of the talent, then you need to be prepared to lose the talent,” she says “This policy acknowledges that people do go through really challenging times, and it’s important that employers have policies that address those times of vulnerability and help employees through them.”
