Advocating for fertility and family building benefits can feel intimidating, but one employee’s voice can help create meaningful change. Gathering the facts, finding internal support, and connecting personal experience to workplace needs can make the conversation with HR stronger.
Raising the topic of a fertility and family building benefit within your organization can feel daunting. Who should you talk to? How should you approach the conversation? Will your company care? And if you’ve started the conversation, how do you keep the momentum going?
Whether you’re just beginning to Google those acronyms you’ve heard from friends (hello IVF, TTC, IUI) or you’re years into your own family building journey, your voice matters. By speaking up, you’re not only advocating for yourself —you’re helping future colleagues who may one day face the same challenges.
No matter the size of your organization, you have the power to help create meaningful change.
Here are a few key facts that highlight why this conversation matters in every workplace:
The bottom line? Fertility and family building challenges are present in every workplace, even if they’re not being openly discussed.
Our Talk to HR campaign provides the tools you need to make the case for fertility and family building benefits at your organization. Start with these key steps — and remember, we’re here to help.
Fertility benefits can be life-changing for those experiencing infertility. Too often, employers either don’t offer coverage or have plans that don’t truly meet employees’ needs.
Comprehensive fertility and family building benefits are good for employees and for business — supporting recruitment, retention, equity, and overall well-being.
Analyze your company’s current offerings:
Once you start fact-finding, it won’t take long to realize how prevalent this is within your organization. Infertility is more common than diabetes or depression — and, in many cases, plans stop coverage after a diagnosis, leaving families to navigate the rest on their own.
This coverage gap is one of the reasons people feel like navigating infertility and treatment is like taking on another full-time job.
Once you have the facts, identify someone in your organization who can help open doors and champion your cause. You’ll want to bring your findings to the people who can actually change your benefits plan.
It’s important to understand your organization’s current priorities and to connect a comprehensive fertility program to broader business goals.
Consider these questions:
An internal sponsor — such as a mentor, manager, or employee resource group leader — can help you navigate company priorities, decision-making processes, and timing to make your proposal more likely to succeed.
Change is easier when you’re not doing it alone. Connect with colleagues across Human Resources, Operations, IT, Sales, Marketing — anyone who cares about this issue or has personal experience. Leverage their expertise in business along with personal experience to transform pain into purpose.
Together, you can combine business insights and lived experiences to make a stronger case for meaningful change.
There’s no better time than now to commit to being the change you want to see in your organization. Family building support is not just a benefit — it’s a necessity.
By raising your voice, you can help ensure everyone has the support they need to reach their family goals.
Explore our Talk to HR page for more education, resources, and tools to help you prepare for the conversation about fertility and family building benefits at your workplace.
Let’s keep working toward a future where everyone has access to the family building support they deserve.