Employee benefits provider Unum UK has enhanced its pregnancy loss support and signed the Miscarriage Association’s pregnancy loss pledge to help staff affected by loss before 24 weeks of pregnancy.
Coinciding with Baby Loss Awareness Week (9 – 15 October), Unum has launched a new Sharepoint page that offers resources such as links to baby loss charities and external specialist support groups. Its aim is to help managers to understand how to best support staff after pregnancy loss and have difficult conversations using compassionate language.
Unum has also updated its additional leave policy with a new section on pregnancy loss leave. Irrespective of how long they have worked for the provider, employees are eligible for two weeks’ paid leave outside of their sick pay entitlement. This includes those who are impacted by a partner or surrogate’s pregnancy loss.
The provider also signed the Miscarriage Association’s pregnancy loss pledge, agreeing to understand and implement rules around pregnancy-related leave, create a supportive work environment, have a policy or guidance in place, ensure line managers have access to resources to support people, including partners, and show flexibility wherever possible.
Unum decided to introduce the additional support after conducting an internal review and discussing the changes with its employee consultative group, which had asked for improved resources, better signposting and more support for managers. All new enhancements and support resources will be communicated via the provider’s People Manager Connect monthly Teams meeting.
Jane Hulme, HR director at Unum UK, said: “We recognise that pregnancy loss can be a hugely challenging and emotional time in a person’s life yet one in five pregnancies end in miscarriage. By enhancing our resources and signing the pledge, we wish to provide more support to colleagues and their managers. We strive to create a work environment where staff feel able to discuss and disclose pregnancy and loss without judgment and provide clear signposting to entitlement and specialist resources when required.”