thought leadership
Fertility in the workplace: A day in UK Parliament
Jennina Taylor-Wells | March 17, 2026
It’s not every Monday you get to see inside parliament. But on a dreary February afternoon, I had the privilege of attending on behalf of Avalere Health, for a round table discussion hosted by Alice MacDonald MP. And it was to talk about something that is close to my heart – words you don’t often hear mentioned together – fertility in the workplace.
Alice MacDonald is a Labour MP campaigning for the right to paid time off work for fertility treatment in the UK. She also recently launched a Fertility Support Pledge for employers – encouraging them to provide support to employees going through fertility treatment.
I attended the event along with Fertility Matters at Work (FMAW) – a leading training provider doing great work to support businesses in becoming ‘fertility friendly’ for their employees. I met the FMAW founders back in 2022 at a fertility show and was so inspired by their enthusiasm to bring about real change and to banish the stigma surrounding fertility challenges in the workplace. I was also heartened to see representatives from some larger companies in attendance, as well as a trade union, and local government delegates.
We discussed the importance of employers supporting their employees going through fertility struggles, and as a fertility veteran myself, I know the reasons all too well; it’s one of the most challenging and uncertain times of your life. Having an employer who is flexible, understanding, and empathetic, alongside any other help they can give to make life easier during this time, can make all the difference. And it’s not just the employee who benefits from such a human approach – studies have shown that the business also benefits by improved retention and engagement.
It took almost five years until I first laid eyes on my baby, and during that time I managed to carry on working at Avalere Health. I wanted to carry on working as it was a stable, (generally) predictable thing in my life, and something that gave me purpose and some control. But I’m also very grateful for all the support Avalere Health gave me in return – flexibility around appointments, making sure my workload felt manageable, and the care and encouragement from my manager and team.
Today, I am pleased to say that Avalere Health are accredited as a ‘fertility friendly’ organization. Last year, the company introduced their own Fertility Policy to support all employees on their family planning journeys and they have also signed Alice’s Fertility Support Pledge. I am proud to be one of the organization’s fertility champions – with just one aim in mind: to make someone’s life that little bit easier, knowing they can talk to someone who gets it and who can signpost them to helpful resources.
It’s important to acknowledge that so many people are not this lucky, and do not feel supported by their workplace the way I have been. In some cases, employees feel they have no choice but to leave their jobs. Like fertility treatment can often feel, workplace support seems to be a lottery. Let’s hope Alice’s campaign, the movement started by FMAW, and employers like Avalere Health inspire others to help end this barrier – so employees can feel safe to share their struggles, knowing they are going to be fully supported.