The COVID-19 pandemic may have put the working world on pause for over a year, but it didn’t slow down employees’ efforts to build a family.
But the path to parenthood isn’t always easy, and many would-be parents require additional support through the use of fertility benefits in order to make this goal a reality. In spite of fertility clinics closing their doors abruptly to patients due to COVID-19, a recent survey from Carrot Fertility and RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, found that the pandemic actually ramped up employee’s family building plans and resulted in fertility care emerging as a core part of people’s healthcare priorities.
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“COVID-19 didn't slow down family forming and in some cases it accelerated it,” says Margaret Ryan, head of communication at Carrot Fertility. “Ten percent of the employees we surveyed decided to start fertility treatments because of the increased convenience of doing so while working from home.”
Only 8% of employees say they have delayed parenthood as a result of COVID-19, according to the Carrot Survey, while 48% of respondents said they were already pursuing parenthood and had no plans to stop. Infertility impacts one in eight couples in the U.S., but this isn’t an issue that is specific to hetrosexual couples who are facing a biological challenge. Members of the LGBTQ community and single parents can often face social barriers that make it harder for them to have a child.
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Currently, only 19% of employers offer an IVF benefit, while just 18% of organizations offer fertility care benefits other than IVF, according to data from the Society for Human Resource Management. Not only do these benefits provide employees with support, resources, and coverage that make their fertility journeys less costly and stressful, they can also play a huge role in attracting and retaining talent — something that will prove valuable to employers in the face of a competitive post-pandemic job market.
“We see that more companies are recognizing that employees not only expect fertility benefits, but it is increasingly becoming a key factor when deciding to join or stay at a company,” Ryan says.
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Offering fertility benefits is a good step in providing the resources and support employees need. However, there is more employers can do, Ryan says. This includes creating an environment where employees can comfortably speak about their fertility journey and create a designated space within the physical office where employees can go to give themselves their injections and other treatments that isn’t a bathroom or closet. Only 2% of companies have an appropriate space where employees feel comfortable giving themselves a shot, according to the Carrot research.
“Fertility care is a fundamental part of healthcare,” Ryan says. “And the workplace plays an important role in that support system."
