How JCDecaux built a safe culture with proactive hormonal health support

JCDecaux wanted a benefit to support D&I, Mental Health, and retention across their multi-generational workforce (age 18 to 65). But how do you create a psychologically safe culture where sensitive topics like menopause and infertility can be openly discussed? Find out how they achieved just that through Hertility. Delivering proactive diagnostic care, used health data to rewrite company policy, and cemented their commitment to every single colleague.

COMPANY

JCDecaux

SECTOR

Media / Outdoor Advertising

EMPLOYEES

Large Enterprise

Background

JCDecaux is a leading international outdoor advertising company, managing a large and multi-generational workforce.

Recognising that their People Strategy involves many interlinked elements, including Culture, Diversity & Inclusion (D&I), and Mental Health, JCDecaux aims to strategically invest budget where it can maximise impact across multiple areas simultaneously.

The introduction of Hertility was driven by the desire to find a benefit that could support employees across their entire life cycle, from 18 to 65 years old, while addressing emerging and often-overlooked health needs, such as women’s health.

The challenge

JCDecaux recognised that traditional workplace benefits were failing to address the complex relationship between hormonal and mental health.

The People team was acutely aware that modern employee strategies cannot exist in "linear boxes." Key challenges included:

The Mental Health Overlap: The team understood it would be "naive to think" that hormonal health challenges do not significantly impact mental health. Data showed employees were reaching out due to fatigue, anxiety, and painful periods, indicating a deep, underlying need for diagnostic support.
Supporting a Multi-Generational Workforce: With a workforce spanning young employees to those nearing retirement, JCDecaux needed an equitable benefit that provided value no matter the colleague's age, relationship status.
Removing Taboos: The company aimed to foster a truly psychologically safe culture where sensitive topics like infertility, menopause, and hormonal conditions could be openly discussed.
D&I at Senior Levels: The company's goal to maintain a diverse population, particularly at the senior level, required offering benefits that ensure the entire workforce feels supported throughout their journey.

The solution: Hertility

JCDecaux partnered with Hertility, opting for the Gold Reproductively Responsible™ Accreditation, a package chosen specifically for its dual focus on early diagnostic care, clinical treatment pathways and workplace education sessions.

The team selected this package because it not only provided comprehensive clinical access but also included extensive training seminars and education pieces to upskill the entire workforce.

JCDecaux's Gold Package delivers:

At-home Hormone & Fertility Test
Clinical Results Review Calls
Access to World-Leading Clinicians for Treatment and Care
Extra Scanning and Diagnostics (Included in Gold Accreditation)
CPD-Accredited Education Workshops for employees and managers
Full Policy Template Library

This partnership established Hertility as a strategic tool, removing boundaries so that support is available for "absolutely everybody," regardless of age, or gender.

Results and impact

Hertility’s implementation enabled JCDecaux to achieve cultural shifts and provide actionable data:

Psychological Safety: The biggest impact has been the creation of a "safe culture." The benefit has opened up necessary conversations around menopause, fertility, and hormonal conditions, making employees feel that JCDecaux is a workplace where they can be open and share their stories.
Data-Driven Policy: Data provided by Hertility revealed the top three reasons employees were reaching out were fatigue, anxiety, and painful periods. This insight directly informed the review of existing policies (like the sickness policy) and the introduction of a new Fertility Policy.
Individual Impact: The benefit delivered crucial early diagnoses, such as one employee discovering a thyroid issue that otherwise would have gone undiagnosed, and another colleague receiving fast-tracked care for miscarriages outside of NHS timelines.
Allyship and Inclusion: The partnership successfully overcame initial skepticism from male colleagues. The education component has helped all employees understand how hormonal health impacts partners, siblings, and colleagues, leading to genuine, cross-business support.
Cemented Commitment: Achieving the Gold Reproductively Responsible™ accreditation "cements the commitment" that JCDecaux cares about their colleagues’ whole journey—not just when they are at their desks.

Advice for other HR leaders

As the JCDecaux speaker advises fellow male colleagues and HR leaders:

Use the education sessions that Hertility offers, even if it's just to show up and just to listen to what's talked about. You don't necessarily have to share your own stories or ask any questions, but just to get an idea of what are the topics that are being discussed and that gives me the confidence to go have a conversation, whether it's someone in my team or someone in the wider business."

"Reminding yourself that it is not just about forming a family. It's so much more than that... No matter why someone might want to do that test, even if it's just because they're curious, you just have no clue actually the information that it can really unlock for someone."

Looking ahead

JCDecaux's commitment to proactive, diagnostic-led care demonstrates a fundamental shift in their People Strategy. By moving hormonal health from a taboo topic to a supported, actionable one, they are strengthening employee wellbeing and setting a new standard for inclusion in the media sector.

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