Co-op launches pregnancy loss policy

Co-op Insurance announced the launch of its dedicated pregnancy loss policy, created to support colleagues through the bereavement and grief of a pregnancy loss – which includes, but is not limited to, miscarriage, stillbirth, embryo transfer loss, molar pregnancy and termination of pregnancy (for any reason).

The policy, part of Co-op’s drive to create a truly inclusive workplace and deliver a fairer world for colleagues, supports both parents who have been affected – whether it happens directly to them, their partner, or their baby’s surrogate mother, regardless of the nature of their loss, stage of the pregnancy and whatever their length of service or contracted hours. More than one in five* pregnancies end in miscarriage – around a quarter of a million in the UK each year.

Created in partnership with the Miscarriage Association, the policy includes a range of flexible support, including:

• Flexible paid leave, tailored to best provide support for individual circumstances
• To help open up conversations in the workplace, Co-op is equipping managers with a guide to provide appropriate practical and emotional support to those going through loss. In addition to sharing a range of resources from charities and support groups to help colleagues and their families
• Paid leave for the partners of those who experience pregnancy loss, as well as colleagues who are intended parents and experience pregnancy loss with a surrogate, to ensure all those affected are supported
• Time off for medical appointments, access to support and counseling for bereavement and grief through Lifeworks (a wellbeing app for Co-op colleagues) and also signposting to other organizations at the end of the policy to support specific types of pregnancy loss
• Access to emergency leave for colleagues if a member of their family suffers a pregnancy loss
• Access to GP support available to colleagues and their families 24 hours a day through Co-op’s Smart Health virtual service, providing psychologist-led mental health support, complex case support, second medical opinions, and proactive health guidance

The policy has been devised for all colleagues affected by pregnancy loss, regardless of when or the circumstances for the loss. Co-op is also providing a guide for managers to help provide appropriate practical and emotional support to those going through loss.