This Baby Loss Awareness Week, Glass Ceilings is raising awareness and providing guidance on how best to support employees.
- Have a policy and procedures in place that people know is there if/when they need it. Make sure it is accessible and easy to find, to reduce additional stress at a difficult time.
- Ensure the policy covers all genders and circumstances.
- Don’t make assumptions about personal circumstances or how an employee feels.
- Provide an holistic approach, signposting for emotional wellbeing support.
- Raise awareness and train line managers in holding conversations.
- Review your company’s EAP and Occupational Health provisions – do they cover Baby Loss and related absences?
- Consider flexing / suspending any sickness absence triggers for baby loss related absences.
- Don’t assume people will need the time off straightaway. Like any bereavement, sometimes it hits people much later and they may need time off then without worrying about their sickness absence and job security.
Here’s why we never use the term ‘family friendly’ in people policy development.
No doubt many of us have seen a bunch of policies on maternity, paternity, shared parental leave, and flexible working etc. bundled together under the heading “Family Friendly”. Fewer HR buzz terms grate on me more than this. Despite trying to be the opposite, this is an example of exclusive language. Not everyone requiring these types of leave or policy support will need it for ‘family friendly’ reasons.
The reason for these policies is not to be family friendly – this makes an assumption about the circumstances of someone requiring this type of leave or flexible working. The purpose of these policies is to provide work-life balance to employees, including providing them their statutory rights, as part of being an attractive and modern employer.
Laura Evans, CEO says: “When developing policies and procedures in this area, it’s important to be truly inclusive and sensitive to the wellbeing of all employees. It is important to consider diverse impacts, including baby loss, which I’ve long felt is a hidden inclusion issue.”
I have always referred to such policies as ‘Work-Life’ policies, which is the term included in our People Policy Register. This sets the culture from the top and permeates through the governance of people management.
According to Tommy’s, 1 in 4 pregnancies is lost in the UK each year, with 1 in 5 miscarrying (only 1 in 6 are reported), around 11,000 ectopic pregnancies, and nearly 2,000 babies born sleeping (stillborn). Not to mention thousands of people living with conditions affecting their reproductive health, who may have been advised by medics they might not have children of their own or, even when they or their partner falls pregnant, know they may have difficulties.
Seeing the term ‘family friendly’ when you access a policy to understand your rights and entitlements can cause a great deal of pain to some people. Very often these policies are written from a position of setting out entitlements and an assumption that all has gone well with a pregnancy and birth. They are often written in gendered language too, or the old fashioned presumption of what a family should look like.
There should be policies in place, which you hope nobody ever has to read, but in the sad circumstances they do experience baby loss they can easily access, and very quickly understand, that they are able to take time off to process and grieve their loss, like any other bereavement. There should be Adoption and Fostering policies too.”
9th October, 2022