Becky Kearns, co-founder Fertility Matters at Work, with her daughters Mila, 6, and twins Eska and Lena, 4 will be entitled to paid leave for fertility treatments, under the retailer’s new policy inspired by workers and its chief executive’s own journey into motherhood.
Co-op staff whose partners are having fertility treatment will also benefit from the policy, with paid leave for up to 10 appointments per cycle and up to three cycles of fertility treatment. ButThe policy, which is now live, was suggested by employees in one of the retailer’s internal networks and championed by Co-op’s chief executive, Shirine Khoury-Haq, who had twins via a surrogate.: “I have an absolute passion for this given that I’ve been through it myself.
The retailer, which employs around 60,000 people, said anyone can access the paid support regardless of how long they have worked at Co-op or how many hours they work. “Sadly, in some cases, there is also the need to manage the physical and emotional impact of failed cycles and even pregnancy loss.