Channel 4 pregnancy loss policy includes dads

Channel 4 have unveiled what they claim is a world first pregnancy loss policy that will be available to dads as well as mums.

Employees at the TV station will qualify for the support no matter their length of service. The policy applies to men and women who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth and abortion as well as other forms of pregnancy loss. Employees can take two weeks leave on full pay. They are also entitled to paid leave for medical appointments,  flexible working and further resources including medical support, counselling and a buddying scheme to support employees returning to work after a loss.

The policy has also been devised for line managers and colleagues of staff directly affected who wish to provide appropriate practical and emotional support to those affected.

Channel 4

Channel 4 is making the policy public so other organisations can copy it.

An estimated one in every four pregnancies ends in miscarriage. One in every 200 births in the UK each year is classed as stillborn. And an estimated one in three women will have an abortion in their lifetime.

Channel 4’s People team now has a dedicated Pregnancy Loss Champion. Staff networks including 4Mind, focussed on mental health, the Parents & Carers community, and gender equality group 4Women are all involved in delivering the policy.

Taboo

Alex Mahon, Channel 4 CEO, said: “At Channel 4 we recognise that the loss of a pregnancy, no matter the circumstances, can be a form of grief that can have a lasting emotional and physical impact on the lives of many women and their partners. Our dedicated policy by 4Women will help confront a subject that remains taboo whilst providing Channel 4’s employees with vital tools and support. We hope that by giving away this pioneering policy we’re able to encourage other organisations to do the same.”

Jane English, Landy Slattery and Navene Alim, Co-Chairs of 4Women said: “We felt we had to act after hearing heart-breaking stories of staff suffering in silence with pregnancy loss. We wanted to recognise that it’s not just women and heterosexual couples who are affected by such losses. And we chose to make the policy publicly available so that other companies could take it and make it their own and help tackle the stigma and lack of support surrounding pregnancy loss.”

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