Are employees Entitled to take time off for IVF appointments?

Posted in : First Tuesday Q&A NI on 10 March 2023
Chris Fullerton
Arthur Cox
Issues covered: Medical appointment leave; Family friendly rights

There is currently no specific statutory right to time off for IVF treatment, but employees can still ask you for time off. If this cannot be accommodated in the circumstances, you might wish to offer the employee the option of taking annual leave instead to attend such appointments.

The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland’s Guidance for Employers recommends that employers treat requests for time off for IVF treatment sympathetically and that it is good practice for employers to establish procedures for allowing staff to take time off for IVF and fertility treatment.

Back to Q&A's This article is correct at 10/03/2023
Disclaimer:

The information in this article is provided as part of Legal-Island's Employment Law Hub. We regret we are not able to respond to requests for specific legal or HR queries and recommend that professional advice is obtained before relying on information supplied anywhere within this article.

Chris Fullerton
Arthur Cox

The main content of this article was provided by Chris Fullerton. Contact telephone number is 028 9023 0007 or email Chris.Fullerton@arthurcox.com

View all articles by Chris Fullerton