Your employee is pregnant (or their partner is) and they are preparing to take parental leave. There is excitement, anticipation, and planning in the workplace for their upcoming time off. Then the unthinkable hits. Their baby dies.  

As an employer, how do you handle baby loss in your workplace? Do you feel comfortable supporting a woman whose baby just died? And what about the father or non-pregnant partner? How do you support them? Do you have a clear HR Policy for baby loss that will help you navigate the practicalities for your employee and your business? 

Baby loss is far more common than people think. Every day in Australia, 6 babies are stillborn and 2 babies die within their first 28 days of life. That's 8 babies every single day. Added to this, 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage. 

Yes, baby loss is personal, but it's an outdated rhetoric that employees should ‘leave their personal lives at home’. The mental health and wellbeing of your employees is paramount to the culture and success of your business. Including financial success. 

A PWC study into the Economic Impact of Stillbirth in Australia found in the 2016-2020 period, stillbirth would cost businesses an estimated: 

• $129.4 million - in absenteeism
• $149 million - in presenteeism
• $70.6 million - staff resignation/replacement 

It doesn't have to be this way. You can minimise financial and emotional strain on your business by being proactive in the baby loss space - and a leading organisation in social change.  

How? Upskill in providing grief support for employees who experience baby loss, and the development of inclusive HR Policy for bereaved/grieving parents. This has been made easy with The Baby Loss Project:

 An online professional development training that upskills employers to respond proactively to pregnancy loss, stillbirth and infant death (‘baby loss’). Think of it as a smart and simple investment in your business and your employees.