Miscarriage is the most common adverse pregnancy outcome, with an estimated one in four pregnancies ending in loss. Miscarriage has significant physical and psychological effects, which inevitably spill over into the workplace. Leave for miscarriage is protected under The Equality Act (2010), however, countless employees do not receive adequate support from their workplaces, including protected paid leave. In fact, many do not disclose their loss, and when they do commonly face insensitive reactions, inconsistent, and even discriminatory, practice due to lack of awareness. Companies failing to address pregnancy loss are witnessing increased financial costs due to increased presenteeism, higher turnover, loss of talent, and even legal cases.
Empathetic and effective practice supports affected employees, validating their loss and promoting their recovery. Organisations want to help, however, are often unaware of how to do so – this course supports employees across levels, roles and sectors (including HR, managers, mental health champions and colleagues), by equipping you with the tools to know how to better support the countless colleagues experiencing early pregnancy loss.
Specially, the course will improve your understanding of pregnancy loss, providing you the tools to apply theory to practice in various ways, including communication training to ensure that you know how to respond (and not to respond) to disclosures. You will have the opportunity to develop your understanding of best practice through an interactive workshop, including facilitator-led training, case study discussions, individual tasks and Q&A in a safe space. The content of the course is informed by the latest academic research, delivered in an accessible, digestible and practical way.
Objectives
Delegates will have the opportunity to:
- Develop your understanding of pregnancy loss – including its taboo, prevalence, causes and risk factors, treatments and interventions, its various types, physical and psychological effects, and its impact at work.
- Understand affected employees’ rights and entitlements at work.
- Participate in communication training to identify appropriate and insensitive responses to avoid when a colleague discloses.
- Learn how to respond in an emergency situation should pregnancy loss symptoms begin at work.
- Identify and tackle pro-natal practices which may be triggering for those affected by pregnancy loss.
- Explore the support options available to affected colleagues.
Training outcomes
By the end of the session, delegates will be able to:
- Identify the prevalence and significance of pregnancy loss, notably its impact on work and vice versa.
- Recognise the effects of treatments and interventions of pregnancy loss.
- Consider how partners are affected by pregnancy loss, and how workplaces can support them.
- Demonstrate their awareness of affected employees’ rights and entitlements at work.
- Know how to appropriately and sensitively respond to a pregnancy loss disclosure, and how not to react.
- Be mindful of everyday pro-natal practices and assumptions which may be triggering for those experiencing pregnancy loss, and identify how to minimise such practices.
- Understand how to respond in an emergency situation when the symptoms of pregnancy loss begin at work.
- Consider the difficulties surrounding the taboo, concealment and shame of pregnancy loss.
- Recognise anxieties in potential future pregnancies, and its link to childlessness.
- Apply the knowledge gained from the course to better support colleagues affected by pregnancy loss.
Please note that the session deals with topics of a sensitive nature, and delegates may take breaks as needed. Photographs of babies/children are not used within the course content, and we remind attendees to be mindful that some in the group may have personal experience of pregnancy loss. Delegates are not asked to share their own experiences.
Trainer Profile: Katy Schnitzler
Katy Schnitzler provides bespoke training, policy writing and support for organisations on the topics of pregnancy loss, infertility and childlessness. Her training and consultancy is academically-informed by Katy’s PhD research. Katy has worked with various organisations to improve practice in these prevalent and significant, yet often overlooked areas – including global energy companies, universities and The NHS. Katy is also an academic and specialises in Psychology, Research and Business. She has taught in Further and Higher Education for over 12 years, winning awards for her teaching.
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Registration and Trainers Welcome
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Session one: Pregnancy Loss: An Introduction
- Pregnancy loss definition (including its various types)
- Prevalence
- Causes and risk factors
- Treatments and interventions
- Physical and psychological effects, and its impact at work (including implications for partners)
- Employee rights and entitlements
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Break
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Session two: Communication training – How to respond appropriately to pregnancy loss disclosures
Within this session, delegates are able to explore appropriate reactions to pregnancy loss disclosure. The session includes real lived experiences and examples of effective, and also insensitive, responses. Delegates will also complete a group task.
We cover:
- What to say when someone discloses their pregnancy loss
- Avoiding minimisation: What not to say
- Active listening
- How to display empathy
- The importance of non-verbal communication
- Ongoing support
- Everyday conversations which may be triggering for affected colleagues
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Break
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Session three: How can we better support colleagues affected by pregnancy loss? Mapping practical steps to implement the training
- Individual task with facilitator support – practical application to own workplaces.
- You will consider the support options available to affected employees within your own workplace, e.g., effective return-to-work plans, reasonable adjustments, Employee Assistance Programmes etc.
- External support information is provided to delegates.
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Q&A, trainer’s summary of key take homes and close at 1pm.
- Online Fee: £249+VAT