- Asos will now offer staff paid leave and flexible work for several "health-related life events."
- This includes menopause, pregnancy loss, fertility treatment, and escaping domestic violence.
- The
fashion giant said the new policies aim to break down "the taboos around these issues."
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The policies also cover fertility treatment, cancer treatment, gender reassignment surgery, and escaping domestic violence.
Employees going through menopause have "the ability to work flexibly, take short notice leave or request to work from home," the company said.
Staff dealing with pregnancy loss such as abortion or miscarriage will be able to take up to 10 days of paid leave, applying to both the individual who was pregnant, their partner, and a surrogate if applicable.
Asos says the policy recognizes "that the impact and grief of pregnancy loss is felt by individuals, couples and families as well as the biological mother."
Staff experiencing wider health-related and other life events such as cancer treatment, gender reassignment surgery, and fleeing domestic violence are offered up to six weeks of paid time off.
An additional paid leave of "five days per cycle" is available to staff members undergoing fertility treatment.
"Fertility procedures can be highly intrusive and often grueling," Asos said. "They can take their toll physically, emotionally and mentally."
The policies come into effect Thursday, affecting over 3,800 Asos employees, most of whom are based in the UK.
"All of us face unexpected challenges in life, and sometimes these can create very difficult circumstances which mean we need to step away from or change how we work," Asos CEO Nick Beighton said in a statement.
Earlier this year, Asos bought Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge, and HIIT in a $364 million deal. The
The fashion giant's underlying retail sales as of June have increased by 20% year-over-year with over 26 million active customers.