A Bolton recruitment agency owner is championing women’s wellbeing in the workplace by introducing a fertility policy for all staff.
Claire Sofield, owner and managing director of Horwich-based Four Recruitment has officially introduced a policy named ‘Four Fertility’ in the hope that it will raise awareness across the business.
The policy includes a partnership with Hertility which will give staff access to free hormone testing and egg counts for themselves or their partners, as well as the opportunity to speak to a reproductive health specialist.
The team can take time off which will be paid on top of their annual leave to attend any necessary appointments or treatments relating to fertility.
The organisation will also be hosting regular sessions internally held by various health and wellbeing specialists to educate the team.
These are inclusive and aim to foster an open environment, no matter the gender of employees.
Speaking about the new policy, Claire said: “I knew I wanted to introduce something fertility related within my business for a long time, but after conversations with some members of my team about freezing their eggs, it really spurred me on.
“As a business owner and with over 75 per cent of my team being female, I think it’s so important to raise awareness on the subject of fertility and educating people about what options are available.
“I went through the process of IVF myself and want to create a supportive environment for everyone.
“Our policy aims to take the stress out of our employee’s fertility journeys by allowing them time off to attend any necessary appointments or treatments.
"Attempting to become pregnant was very taxing for me - the medication, the early morning scans, the blood tests… it massively interfered with work.
“If I was working for someone else, the ‘sneaking about’ would have been impossible.”
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Claire’s aim is to create a supportive environment for her team if they find themselves undergoing fertility treatments.
“Some of the team don’t want children and that’s equally OK - I just want them to be educated about what options are out there for them and to not be afraid of asking for time away/flexible working for treatments or telling their employer they are pregnant,” Claire added.
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