Pregnancy Loss Webinar Recording

As a fertility and family building benefits provider, we know firsthand how devastating loss can be. In honor of October’s Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, Progyny hosted a client webinar to discuss how organizations can support all individuals navigating family building, especially those who may experience loss. This session featured a discussion with Christie Nuce and Nicole Bauk of Insight Global (Progyny client) and focused on how to implement a formal bereavement policy and other practical ways to support employees.

The panel included:

Christie Nuce, Director of People Operations at Insight Global Nicole Bauk, Program Manager, Women’s Leadership Council at Insight Global Cynthia McEwen, VP of People and Head of DEI at Progyny Moderated by Ali Miller, VP of Marketing at Progyny

•

Every October we honor Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month to recognize the prevalence of loss and help reduce the stigma. Unfortunately, 1 in 4 pregnancies will end in loss, leaving many feeling isolated and in need of support. We also recognize there are many types of potential loss along the family building journey, such as a failed treatment cycle, abnormal embryos, a failed transfer, or failed adoption or surrogacy arrangement. Unfortunately, this is still a taboo subject, but thanks to organizations like yours — who are offering fertility and family building benefits, and bereavement leave for all types of loss — we are seeing awareness grow. Implementing a formal bereavement policy for pregnancy loss can be an impactful step in supporting your employees. We polled our audience and of attendees, 35% currently offer a pregnancy loss leave policy and 60% are actively considering implementing one. Progyny implemented a policy in August 2021 to explicitly recognize the physical, emotional, and mental health impact of pregnancy loss, including failed adoption and surrogacy arrangements. Insight Global also shared details around the implementation of their formal policy, which includes increased bereavement leave and the addition of medical recovery leave for loss. Employees may not always feel comfortable speaking up about their loss so having a formalized policy can help them feel supported, while also creating equity among your employees. It helps reduce the stigma by acknowledging it and shows your employees that you support them completely. When implementing a bereavement policy, it’s crucial to have leadership buy-in and you will often need to make a business case, which, our guests acknowledged, may take some time. It’s important to start the conversations early to begin the consideration process and then work on gathering data and information to make your case. This data can include the prevalence of loss and therefore need, trends of other companies and countries who offer policies, and how this support can lead to employee retention. Leverage your employee resource groups for feedback to identify any gaps and to champion your policies and resources. We recognize that not all organizations are in a place where it’s feasible to implement a formalized policy. However, there are many other ways you can make an impact. Examples include forming support groups and creating a safe space for people to connect over shared experiences, offering on-site or virtual counseling, hosting events and webinars with partners such as Progyny, and highlighting your organization’s mental health benefits. Letting someone know you are there for them, being a listening ear, and giving people the space and control they need as they navigate their own grief are all ways employers can show support. When thinking about where to start, consider your organization’s population, start the conversations with key stakeholders, and identify what policies or programming may be feasible. You can take steps that will make an impact, no matter how big or small. At Progyny we are here to support you and your employees. Please reach out to your dedicated Progyny contact for ways we can partner together and share additional resources to further support your organization.

Summary:

resources

Progyny Webinar:

How Organizations Can Provide Support for Pregnancy Loss

Truth About the Post-Miscarriage Roller Coaster, Georgia Witkin, Ph.D., Head of Patient Services at Progyny, Assistant Professor of OB-GYN and Reproductive Sciences and Assistant Clinical Professor at Mount Sinai

Smarter Fertility Benefits. Superior Outcomes.

•

Progyny Pregnancy Loss Leave Announcement

Progyny Emotional Support & Awareness Education Site

SHRM Customized Paid Leave Benchmarking Report

SHRM Article: A Growing Benefits Trend: Time Off for Pregnancy Loss

Nicole Bauk, Program Manager, Women’s Leadership Council at Insight Global

Cynthia McEwen, VP of People and Head of DEI at Progyny

Moderated by Ali Miller, VP of Marketing at Progyny