"The Gift Of IVF Coverage" by Brittany Harwood
Below is an article originally written by Brittany Harwood, Team Leader at PowerToFly Partner Quicken Loans, and published on April 29, 2020. Go to Quicken Loans' page on PowerToFly to see their open positions and learn more.
"If you take care of your employees, they will take care of your clients." -Richard Branson
This quote has always resonated with me. Have you ever wondered what it would be like if your company truly took care of you?
My wife and I both work for the Rock Family of Companies and we've both felt firsthand how it feels to work for a company that cares about us. And not just about what we can offer, but that cares about us as people as well. We met in college and both came to the Rock Family of Companies at different times but largely for the same reason. We sought professional opportunity and wanted to work for a company we could really see ourselves staying at for the duration of our careers. Like many young professionals, we didn't think too much about company culture or what was included in the benefits package outside of the standards. I've since learned my lesson, and I now know what it truly means to feel cared for by my company. I'm glad I didn't have to learn it the "hard way."
Planning Our Future
We knew we wanted to have children after we got married, but being a same-sex couple would mean additional challenges in that department. We knew we'd need the help of a donor, but we didn't know much past that. We researched options for conceiving that ranged from trying at home to full medical intervention through in vitro fertilization, or IVF. For those less familiar, IVF is a medical procedure that involves extracting eggs from a woman and fertilizing them in a lab before being transferred back into the uterus, hopefully resulting in pregnancy.
What truly piqued our interest was something commonly discussed in lesbian and same-sex parenting blogs called reciprocal IVF (RIVF). This spin on traditional IVF includes using one woman's egg to create the embryo which is then transferred into the other woman's body to carry the pregnancy. It was ideal for us since we both wanted to be physically connected to our children. Despite this sounding like the perfect option, we filed it under "wildest dreams" after more research because of the price tag. The average cost of IVF is around $20,000, and we just assumed the price would be even higher including both of us.
What Are Our Real Options?
In early 2018, we met with our fertility doctor for the first time. We were both excited and scared, knowing that this appointment would have a big impact on our future. As we sat down across from the doctor, he spoke very casually and showed us a brochure. We were offered options in a menu-like format. Would you like to try the insemination? How about intrauterine insemination (IUI)? Our most popular combo for lesbian couples is the RIVF with a side of assisted hatch. I joke about it now, but in the moment it was a very strange feeling. He spoke like we had all of these options at our disposal while we fully knew that we probably couldn't afford many of them… At least not right now.
My heart was jumping out of my chest and I couldn't take the suspense anymore, so I asked, "How much of this does insurance cover?" He immediately asked where we worked and we both responded with "Quicken Loans" in unison. His eyes lit up when he asked, "Both of you?" We both nodded. He explained with a smile that while he'd have the office staff look over our plans, that he currently had many patients going through cycles that work for our company, they have amazing coverage and that we really wouldn't have many out-of-pocket costs. My jaw dropped while I tried to maintain my composure. He continued the questions. "So which one of you wants to carry and whose eggs are we using?" Reciprocal IVF, the option we had written off a while ago as a wild dream, was now a very real option.
Moms At Last
This option is now our wildest dream come true. Our company cares enough to not only include fertility coverage in their benefits package, but to also ensure that there are no restrictions on it. Any family or individual seeking to becoming a single parent can take advantage.
We ended up doing RIVF using my eggs and Lindsay carried the pregnancy. Because of that, we both have such a special bond with our daughter. Thanks to our amazing benefits, we were able to go through the entire process with very minimal out-of-pocket costs, just like our fertility doctor advised.
Fast forward and our daughter Maeve just celebrated her first birthday. She's such a happy girl and our life is all about her now. It's hard to remember what life was like when she was only a hope in our hearts. But what I know is that she wouldn't be here without the support of our company and for that, I'm forever grateful.
People come to the Rock Family of Companies for a variety of reasons. Some looking for opportunities, a new challenge or to be part of the magic that's happening here. But, people stay with the FOC because we're valued and cared about not just as "employees," but as team members, as people. This is evident in so many ways, and the support in growing our family is one that will always be dear to us.
Lead Together: Behind the Scenes of Facebook's Women@ Leadership Day
Tatiana L. is a global client partner based in Miami.
Tatiana is part of the Women@ Facebook Resource Group and helped plan Women's Leadership Day, an annual global community summit. While the highly-anticipated event takes place over just one day, its massive impact is felt over the course of the entire year.
Amy W. is an operations lead based in London.
"Women's Leadership Day is more than an event. It's energy, and it's a movement," Amy W., an operations lead in London, says. "Moments like this can completely change the perception of women in technology."
From choosing the content and programming for the event to making it accessible for women around the globe, we went behind the scenes with seven members of the Women@ Facebook Resource Group to learn more about how women are empowered—and are empowering one another— in their career journeys at the Facebook company.
Behind the scenes with Women@
Amanda M., an internal recruiting manager based in Singapore, speaking onstage at 2019 Women@ Leadership Day in APAC.
"I've always been passionate about empowering women, but I didn't know how I could do it at work. My first Women@ experience changed how I felt at Facebook," Amanda M., an internal recruiting manager in Singapore, remembers. "From then on, I wanted to help other women feel heard, valued, and confident."
Planning the global event, which brings together women from more than 20 countries, calls for close collaboration across multiple teams, regions, and timezones. Members of Women@ also partner with other Facebook Resource Groups, such as the Pride@ Resource Group, Latin@ Facebook Resource Group, Desis@ Facebook Resource Group and Black@ Resource Group, to ensure all women at Facebook are represented and feel included.
Vivian V. is a program manager based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
"Across regions and communities, we each bring unique differences and powerful stories. When one of us moves forward, we have the opportunity to bring all of us forward," Vivian V., a program manager in the San Francisco Bay Area explains. "While planning the summit, we meet weekly to talk about what women in different regions are experiencing. From the event theme and content to planning speaker sessions and fine-tuning details, we each have items to own. Two months before the summit, we meet daily to share updates and make sure nothing slips through the cracks."
"Just like me, women in APAC look forward to Women's Leadership Day all year long," Amanda says. Planning something that's deeply meaningful to so many people can feel like a lot of pressure, but at the same time, it's uplifting. I appreciate that we have the opportunity to talk about our individual and shared challenges, and we map out ways we can build community while empowering leadership for women across the globe."
Empowering confidence, equality, and leadership through storytelling
Paris Z., a vertical strategy lead in Singapore, and Amanda M. collaborate with women across the globe to plan Women@ programming and events.
Women's Leadership Day encourages women to talk about challenges like experiencing imposter syndrome, breaking through barriers, and how to manage work/life flexibility. "Storytelling is a huge part of the event," Paris Z., a vertical strategy lead in Singapore, explains.
Vivian says, "I've been at Facebook for nearly two years and help plan these events, and honestly, I never really understood imposter syndrome before I got here. Working with the Women@ community and hearing from our speakers—who are talented, brilliant superstars—I've seen firsthand how it affects them too."
Michelle C. is a client partner based in London.
Michelle C., a client partner in London, says that the summit's speaker sessions, which feature people from inside and outside of Facebook, are a highlight of every event. "We had a speaker from Tel Aviv who talked about the importance of balance in her personal life and how she co-parents with her husband. She shared specific things she's done, like adding her husband to the WhatsApp chat groups for mothers she's in and reminding her daughter's school that her husband is also available when their child feels sick. Her message was that we'll never be equal in the workplace until we're equal at home, and it really struck a chord."
Paris says that in APAC, Eva Chen's talk about facing challenges amidst the coronavirus pandemic and how she's raising her daughter was a top-rated session because it was so relatable. "From talking about her daughter's love for dinosaurs—a "boy" thing—and raising kids to fully be themselves to opening up about what it was like to grow up with immigrant parents from China and Vietnam, Eva inspired us with her authenticity and openness. Her struggle to feel supported while working in fashion and tech, rather than medicine, is something a lot of people in APAC understand."
"Every woman has a unique story," Michelle says. "Hearing from others is inspiring, validating, and truly eye-opening. It reminds us that we're not alone."
A memorable and lasting impact
It's no surprise that with the tremendous amount of planning and careful consideration that goes into the summit, its full impact is impossible to measure.
"It meant so much to me when people shared such positive feedback about Women's Leadership Day," Paris says. "We heard that some attendees felt inspired for days and weeks."
Kira G. is an agency partner based in Berlin.
Kira G., an agency partner in Berlin, has witnessed how the summit's programming can inspire action, even helping people push past a career plateau. "We might reach a point in our careers when we think, "I can't do this anymore, I'm not moving forward'," she says. "Women's Leadership Day gives us fresh perspectives, shows us new approaches, and starts important conversations. This can unlock new paths for growth and help us move forward."
Impact is felt in other Facebook groups, communities, and across teams too, inspiring interest and allyship. Amanda explains, "I felt so proud when a male VP from the Sales team came to us after hearing about what people talked about at Women's Leadership Day. He told us he wanted to learn more because it's everyone's responsibility to be an ally."
Empowering the community throughout the year
While Amanda describes Women's Leadership Day as a "bump in energy and inspiration" and "an injection of adrenaline", Vivian says that the real magic is what happens afterwards—and takes place all year long.
"When we think about Women's Leadership Day, our focus is on making sure that the powerful messages we hear and experience serve us throughout the entire year. We ask ourselves questions like, "How can we sprinkle these themes into our programming throughout the month or quarter? How do these ideas fit with our Women@ initiatives?" Going through something awesome together is just the beginning. Our work takes place year-round and we're constantly building on it to do more."
Paris agrees: "There's no shortage of amazing stories from our Women@ community throughout the year. Women's Leadership Day is just one channel for those stories, and I love how it stays top of mind with people and empowers them to do more good. When we come together, we can do anything we dream of."
"We're building a sisterhood and a community," Tatiana beams. "It feels so good to know there's always someone there to support you."
Learn more about Facebook's Employee Resource Groups, including Women@ here.
