Category: Workplace Insights

If you’re an HR leader or employer in the UK or Ireland, you’ve likely felt the tension between supporting your people and navigating the realities of limited budgets, rising sickness rates, and turnover from colleagues quietly leaving because they feel unsupported.  Hertility gives UK and Ireland employers a diagnostic-first approach to fertility and hormone health benefits, combining at-home testing and virtual specialist care, to help you close support gaps before they become costly sickness, treatment or talent losses.  This guide will walk you through exactly how fertility and hormone health benefits can build genuine workplace equity – and what practical steps you can take starting today. Key Takeaways: Fertility and Hormone Health Benefits for Workplace Equity Fertility and Hormone Health benefits address a missing link in UK and Irish workplace wellbeing strategies, reducing absenteeism and boosting retention. The gender health gap costs UK and Irish businesses billions annually through lost productivity, presenteeism, and avoidable employee turnover. Supporting specific life-stages or conditions like menopause, fertility,  or PCOS and endometriosis helps close the gender pay gap. Hertility’s at-home testing and virtual specialist care pathways give employees fast answers to their health and access to care. UK employers have legal obligations to make reasonable adjustments for employees with health conditions. What Is the Gender Health Gap and Why Does It Matter for UK Employers? The gender health gap refers to the systemic difference in how women’s health concerns are diagnosed, treated, and supported compared to men’s. Women are significantly more likely to have their pain dismissed or misdiagnosed, leading to delayed diagnoses, later-stage treatment, and higher healthcare costs. According to research from REBA, women receive fewer workplace benefits than men, with 65% getting company perks compared to 75% of men. This disparity contributes to a cycle where women are less supported, more stressed, and more likely to leave. A report by Deloitte highlights that working women spend more than £1.5bn more per year on out of pocket healthcare than their male counterparts. Fuelled by gaps in public healthcare and benefit strategies.  How Does Unsupported Fertility and Hormone Health Affect UK Business Performance? Unsupported reproductive health conditions alone cost UK businesses approximately £11 billion every year through absenteeism related to heavy and painful periods, endometriosis, fibroids, and ovarian cysts. One in ten women surveyed by the Fawcett Society left work entirely due to menopause symptoms. Losing experienced employees at this career stage not only results in institutional knowledge and leadership losses – but widens your gender pay gap. But this isn’t just about lost workdays and turnover. Presenteeism – where employees show up but can’t fully function – drains productivity and is hugely damaging to businesses. A recent Hertility report using the aggregated biometric data of thousands of female employees highlights that they are living with an average of 5 career impacting symptoms each, ranging from fatigue and anxiety to pain and low-mood. Without access to screening and care, they’re forced to let them escalate and not get to the bottom of what could be a manageable condition or treatable deficiency. Typically, benefit providers and public healthcare are reactive, but many progressive organisations are bringing preventative strategies into their workforce to keep people well and working – which is exactly what Hertility does; unlike other women’s health support on the market, we support women to screen their hormone health and fertility proactively.  Giving them the fastest and most accessible way of getting a diagnosis, managing conditions and accessing treatment, making informed decisions about their fertility future, and supporting them through key life-stages.  What Is the Link Between Fertility and Hormone Health Benefits and the Gender Pay Gap? The gender pay gap in the UK has fallen over the past five years, but male health professionals still earn on average 10.2% more than their female counterparts, according to NHS Employers guidance, and the UK has recently received its lowest workplace gender equality ranking in a decade.  Fertility and hormone health play a significant, but often overlooked role in this disparity. Women disproportionately carry caring responsibilities and experience health-related career interruptions.  When menopause symptoms force someone to reduce hours or step back from promotion opportunities, the pay gap widens. When fertility challenges remain taboo and unsupported, talented employees check out or leave the workforce entirely. Proactive Fertility and Hormone health workplace benefits help you address these root causes directly.  Supporting employees through fertility journeys, conditions, perimenopause, and menopause is a measurable strategy for closing your organisation’s gender pay gap and being an employer of choice against your competitors.  What Should Fertility and Hormone Health Employee Benefits Include? Effective reproductive health benefits go beyond a single service like fertility or menopause care. They should cover the full spectrum of hormonal and reproductive health needs across all life stages, starting with menstruation through to menopause. Diagnostic Testing and Clinical Insights At-home hormone and fertility testing removes barriers to diagnosis and is accessible, reducing time off for appointments. Employees shouldn’t need to wait years for NHS gynaecology appointments when they’re experiencing symptoms now.  Hertility delivers clinical-grade results in just six days, with Doctor-Written Reports and onward Virtual Specialist Care Pathways.  Available testing should consider the individuals needs, and be completely personalised based on their symptoms, but screen for common conditions that could impact future fertility and quality of life, like PCOS, thyroid imbalances, egg reserve indicators, iron deficiency, perimenopause markers and more. The goal is to empower employees to be proactive with their health, take action and get the care they need to support their wellbeing; reducing the need for reactive care further down the line. Access to Clinical Services and Care Pathways Diagnostics are only the starting point. Benefits should include pathways to clinical care – consultations with specialists, treatment options, and ongoing support. As well as referral pathways for fertility treatment like egg freezing and IVF. When employees receive their results, they need clear next steps and a provider who is with them every step of the way.  Education and Policy Development Workshops for managers and […]