Most HR pros say companies are likely to expand, not reduce, fertility benefits

A recent Supreme Court ruling in Alabama temporarily compromised access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) in the state, causing confusion among patients as well as employers and providers covering the treatment.

The current political landscape, marked by the Alabama ruling and the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, is prompting employers at companies offering fertility benefits to evaluate this perk, according to most HR professionals (81%) who were asked about the issue in a recent HR Brew/Harris Poll survey. But among that group, the majority of HR pros surveyed said their company is looking to expand their fertility benefits, rather than reduce them.

While fertility treatments remain a rare employer benefit, over three in five Americans surveyed (63%) said companies should offer them. HR professionals see fertility benefits as a vital tool for talent, as well as for engendering employee loyalty, according to those polled March 8–10.

A competitive benefit. One in 10 (12%) US employees reported that their employer currently provides fertility benefits, either directly or through employer-sponsored insurance. Examples of fertility benefits this group of respondents receives include coverage for IVF, fertility medications, and cryopreservation (i.e., storage for frozen eggs, sperm, or embryos).

Though the share of employers offering fertility benefits is small, it’s double what was reported by Harris Poll in February 2022, when just 6% of employed Americans said they received this treatment through their company.

The HR Brew/Harris Poll survey indicates HR pros are having conversations with their employers about offering this type of healthcare, as 62% said they were trying “to convince my company we need to start offering some fertility benefits.” HR sees promise in the benefits, as well, with 82% of HR professionals at companies offering them reporting they’ve had “a positive impact on attracting and retaining talent at our company.” Over 7 in 10 HR pros overall (73%) said they believe fertility benefits “increase employee loyalty.”

“While not a lot of employers offer it yet, you see a lot of signals in the market that there’s consideration and thoughtfulness about how to offer it in the future, to signal that they’re kind of a future ready company that has their values aligned with next generational talent,” said Libby Rodney, chief strategy officer at Harris Poll.

Leaning in. Among the HR professionals who said their companies were evaluating their fertility benefits in light of the political landscape, 63% said they were looking to expand them, while 24% said they were looking to reduce them, and the rest were unsure. The fact that HR leaders are doubling down, rather than backing away from these benefits suggests companies recognize they’re competitive and important to the employee mindset, Rodney said.

Reproductive benefits are a challenging space to navigate, given employers have so many stakeholders to consider, from employees to board members to activist investors. HR’s role is “to always remind the employer of what an employee needs to be a productive and effective worker, and a lot of that has to do with the well being of themselves and their families,” Rodney said. Given US employers play such a critical role in providing healthcare to workers, “they have to keep filling these gaps, even if the political scene is changing and diverting in different ways.”