What many women, especially those who work outside the home, don’t realize is that IVF treatments can seriously impact the way you live your life. Bedrest, avoidance of heavy lifting and frequent shots can all contribute to one thing — your inability to be the best employee you can.
It would be a perfect world if employers didn’t care about losing you for weeks at a time during your IVF treatments, but the world isn’t ideal. That means you have to figure out ways to keep your employer happy while you undergo IVF.
Below are a few ways to maintain your workload:
- Discuss options with your personnel manager. You may be able to work from home on a laptop during periods of bedrest.
- If you have many weeks of vacation “stockpiled”, perhaps you could use it during IVF treatments and your company could hire a temporary worker to complete your assignments.
- Try to be accommodating to your employer. For instance, don’t schedule your IVF treatments during the holiday season if you work in retail.
- Look into short-term leave options with your personnel manager. You may have options you didn’t realize existed. And if you don’t, it still never hurts to ask.
- Be creative and go to your supervisor with solutions, not a “I’m doing this… so what are you going to do about it?” attitude. No one likes to feel like his or her back is “against the wall”. Be positive.
Of course, even the most lenient employer has his or her limit, meaning that there will likely be some stressful moments. But the more you plan ahead, the fewer those difficulties will be.
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