Workplace and Fertility Treatment
If you are going through fertility treatment and you might be pretty overwhelmed with balancing fertility treatment and work, and not quite sure how do you communicate what you are going through. There may be a part of you that wants to share and get some flexibility, and there's another part that may want to keep this private.
Well, I have some scripts that I've written up and I often share these with my patients. I'm happy to share them with you as well. If you don't know me, my name's Linda. I'm a reproductive health psychologist and fertility counselor. I help you with the ups and downs of fertility treatment. What we're hoping with these scripts is it allows you to share what people may observe as some changes in you because of what you're facing, but it also shuts the door if you yourself do not wanna share more in detail. Of course, these scripts are not for you to follow exactly to the letter but are instead for you to edit and make fit as you need them to.
I created these because most of my patients who are going through this process are feeling so emotionally overwhelmed that it's hard to find a starting point to have these conversations.
Workplace Communication
It's hard to communicate when we're overwhelmed. It's hard even think about decision-making on whether to communicate when we're overwhelmed. Below you will find some examples of workplace scripts.
Examples for communication:
“ I wanted to let you know that I'm facing a medical challenge. I'm getting through it, but I may need to step away at times. (Here's an opportunity for you to insert what you may need to step away from, whether it's certain responsibilities or attendance )Then, if I'm ready to talk about my medical challenge further, I'll let you know.”
“Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. First, I wanna let you know that I'm okay. I'm currently facing a medical challenge that I don't wish to describe in detail I'd prefer to keep some of this to myself until I know more, however at some point I will certainly update you.”
“I'm currently facing a medical challenge that I don't wish to describe in detail, however, it is going to require to meet with my physician on several occasions. I'll know about some of the appointments in advance and other appointments may come up last minute. Some of the procedures will be uncomfortable, so I may need time off again here. “
Option optionally. You can even talk about I may need to decrease travel.
“I'm currently facing a medical challenge that might call for me to decrease exposure to certain things in the workplace or request to work from home. What is the best way I can communicate with you about addressing my medical challenge while working?
Sharing with a Coworker
This would be great if you choose to share with a coworker.
“ Thank you for taking the time to talk. You may have noticed that I'm not working the same schedule. I wanna let you know that I'm okay. I'm currently facing a medical challenge that I don't wish to describe in detail. Although I appreciate our relationship. One of the benefits to work is it's a great distraction from some of the challenges in my personal life. If there are any changes on my end that impact your work, please let me know and I'll do my best to address it.”
In Closing
I hope if you are finding challenges at your workplace, that perhaps this will help give you some options to start the conversations if you choose to share. So if you found this helpful, of course, fall along for more.