Bourn Hall is proud to sponsor this year’s Rising Festival, with IVF consultant Dr Shreeya Tewary (left) at the forefront of panel discussions, and Head of HR Helen Turner listed as one of the available coaches on the day.
The conflict between the biological clock and career clock will be part of the discussions at this year’s Rising Festival taking place in Cambridge on 21 September, which will be celebrating women’s ‘potential, ambition, fulfilment and wellbeing’.
Infertility is a type of grief and can have a major impact on mental well-being. Dr Tewary shares that the levels of stress in the workplace can be intensified when trying to juggle a career with fertility testing and treatment.
“We need to foster a workplace culture where women feel fully supported in their decisions regarding family planning,” she says. “It is important for employers to recognise the benefits to women of having children earlier in their careers and to ensure that robust processes are in place to support them throughout their journey, including a smooth transition back to work.”
Dr Tewary will be taking part in a panel discussion ‘Progress not Perfection’ at the Rising Festival and will be offering advice on the common causes of infertility, how to know if you may need support to conceive, and steps you can take towards this.
Support for fertility in the workplace
Knowing that work culture needs to become more fertility-friendly, Bourn Hall has teamed up with Fertility Network UK to facilitate its ‘Fertility in the Workplace’ (FiTW) initiative, which encourages employers to develop pragmatic fertility policies, including flexibility to attend appointments. It also provides resources and practical support to employees.
A CIPD (2023) survey found that 40% of employers don’t have a fertility policy and don’t plan to introduce one, leaving those impacted by this medical condition feeling unsupported, isolated and in fear of discrimination.
Helen Turner, Head of Human Resources at Bourn Hall, had a 30-year career in the John Lewis Partnership before joining the clinic, and she believes that a supportive working environment is good for business, as well as employee wellbeing. Helen looks forward to being a coach at the festival to have one-to-one private discussions with any attendees wishing to discuss juggling work pressures and fertility.
Find out more about the Rising Festival at therisingnetwork.com/the-Rising-festival-2024.
