Housing group Futures is offering paid fertility leave in CSR initiative, despite fertility continuously getting less priority in most companies’ wellbeing initiatives.

Only 3% of employers say their employee health and wellbeing policies include provisions for fertility treatment or issues, according to research from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

In a new CSR initiative, housing association Futures Housing Group has introduced paid leave for employees undergoing fertility treatment. This comes after research showing that women’s reproductive health receives less attention in wellbeing provisions, as fertility and menstrual health are not being addressed by most employers.

With Futures’ new plan, colleagues would get paid time off for appointments and treatment, additionally covering those whose partners are receiving fertility assistance. The plan includes compassionate leave in the case of embryo transplant loss or miscarriage.

Lead Futures HR adviser Laura Watkinson believes this places the company ahead of the game: “Futures is always looking to improve the offer we make to our biggest asset, our people. We recognised a gap in our offering to those who were going through fertility treatment and felt we could try to make a difficult and potentially stressful period slightly less intense.”

Although a bill was introduced to Parliament, no current legislation is in place to ensure fertility leave in all workspaces.