A world first? Channel 4’s Pregnancy Loss Policy
On 26 April 2021 Channel 4 made an announcement regarding a potential ‘world first’ policy they have implemented for all employees to support them through the loss of a pregnancy. It appears that the policy will provide support in circumstances of miscarriage, stillbirth and abortion and will also apply to employees who plan to conceive using a surrogate.
The policy provides for two weeks’ leave on full-pay, flexible working arrangements and access to various resources, such as counselling, through the employer. The policy is available to all employees regardless of their length of service. It comes as Channel 4 News recently highlighted that an estimated 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage and 1 in every 200 babies are stillborn.
Channel 4 hope that the policy will make an impact on UK employment practices (as its menopause policy did in 2019) by encouraging other employers to re-evaluate what support they offer their employees in what is often an extremely difficult period in their lives.
This policy comes after a change in the law last year in which parents became entitled to Statutory Parental Bereavement Leave and statutory minimum payments for a period of up to two weeks. Whilst many have championed the new statutory entitlements, these payments are limited to people who had a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy meaning many people will not benefit from the support provided by legislation.
The Channel 4 policy highlights a trend among some employers in implementing measures that work to ensure that staff feel supported throughout their employment. These changes are very much at the discretion of each individual employer and it will remain to be seen whether such policies will become commonplace.
If you have any questions about pregnancy loss policies, please email or call our Employment Law team today on 0113 207 0000.
Partner and Head of Employment
Employment Law
PKelly@LawBlacks.com
0113 227 9249
@PaulLawBlacks
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Paul Kelly
