"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.
Growing Your Career in Technical Support: 4 Tips for Getting Hired at Elastic from Support Director Heidi Sager
Heidi Sager loves math, but she also loves working with people.
She always has, which is why she enjoyed her part-time job working at the IT department of the University of Colorado while she was studying electrical engineering. (She'd started in computer science, but explains that it "wasn't for her" and switched her major.) She helped students and professors with word processors, basic programming, and software checkout, and took a full-time job after graduation as a UNIX system administrator.
3 Women, 7 Lessons: What These Relativity Leaders Learned in 2020
Working at Relativity—the global tech company that equips legal and compliance professionals with a powerful data-organizing and discovery platform—looked different in 2020. The highly collaborative environment of their Chicago headquarters transitioned to a virtual setting, and just like companies around the country, Relativity adapted their goals and major projects to a completely remote environment.
8 (Virtual) Diversity Conferences to Attend in 2021
Diversity Reboot 2021: The One Hundred Day Kickoff
<p><strong>When</strong>: February 1-5, 2021</p><p><strong>Where</strong>: Virtual</p><p><strong>Price to register:</strong> Free!</p><p><strong>Where to register: </strong><a href="https://summit.powertofly.com/" target="_blank">Here</a></p><p>We had to include our own Diversity Reboot on our list of the best diversity and inclusion events to attend in 2021 because we know firsthand how the quality of 100+ expert speakers, the enthusiasm of 10,000 participants, and the cutting-edge tech that enables meaningful virtual networking and job fairs combine to create a truly epic five-day experience. This year, the theme 100 Day Kickoff harnesses the energy of the new government's first 100 days in office to help jump-start personal and professional plans to build more diverse and inclusive workplaces. </p><p>Following the February summit, we'll have a monthly series of smaller virtual summits on topics spanning everything from returnships to LGBTQ+ advocacy, so be sure to stay tuned for updates!<br></p>The Future of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 2021
<p><strong>When</strong>: February 3-4, 2021</p><p><strong>Where</strong>: Virtual</p><p><strong>Price to register:</strong> Free</p><p><strong>Where to register:</strong> <a href="https://www.hr.com/en/webcasts_events/virtual_events/upcoming_virtual_events/the-future-of-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-2021_kcxf8glq.html#detail" target="_blank">Here</a></p><p>This virtual conference put on by HR.com focuses on how social movements like #MeToo and Black Lives Matter have pushed DEI at work beyond legal compliance and into a major factor of any company or brand's culture, employee engagement, and performance. Topics include how to uncover and resolve pay gaps across your team and hire top-level diverse talent.</p>Workplace Revolution: From Talk to Collective Action
<p><strong>When</strong>: March 8-12, 2021</p><p><strong>Where</strong>: Virtual</p><p><strong>Price to register: </strong>$820</p><p><strong>Where to register:</strong> <a href="https://cvent.me/ZQ4BbE" target="_blank">Here</a></p><p>The Forum on Workplace Inclusion's 33rd annual conference includes 12 session tracks, from DEI Strategy to Social Responsibility, along with 59 workshops and daily networking sessions. This year's theme focuses on one question: "What will it take to start a workplace revolution that moves us from talk to action?"</p>Diversity: How Employers Can Match Words With Deeds
<p><strong>When</strong><strong>: </strong>May 19, 2021</p><p><strong>Where:</strong> Virtual</p><p><strong>Price to register</strong><strong>: </strong>Early bird registration is $49 and general admission is $149</p><p><strong>Where to register:</strong> <a href="https://hopin.com/events/may-virtual-conference-diversity-how-employers-can-match-words-with-deeds" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Here</a></p><p>From Day One is hosting monthly conferences in 2021 focused on different ways for companies to foster strong relationships with their customers, communities, and employees. May's half-day virtual event is focused specifically on how companies can make diversity promises that don't fall flat and features workshops, panels, and a fireside chat.</p>Hire with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
<p><strong>When:</strong> August 18, 2021</p><p><strong>Where: </strong>Virtual</p><p><strong>Price to register: </strong>$195</p><p><strong>Where to register:</strong> <a href="https://www.hci.org/conferences/2021-virtual-conference-hire-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-august-18-2021" target="_blank">Here</a></p><p>This conference put on by the Human Capital Institute is one of 12 virtual conferences that HCI has planned for 2021. This one focuses on fair and inclusive talent acquisition, including how to attract diverse talent, implement inclusive hiring practices, and addressing bias in employee selection. Other conferences will focus on optimizing talent strategy, engaging employees, and developing your workforce.</p>Virtual Grace Hopper Celebration 2021
<p><strong>When:</strong> September 26-29, 2021</p><p><strong>Where:</strong> Virtual, broadcast from Chicago, Illinois</p><p><strong>Price to register:</strong> Was $799 for regular access to the virtual conference in 2020; 2021 pricing hasn't yet been announced</p><p><strong>Where to register:</strong> <a href="https://ghc.anitab.org/attend/registration/" target="_blank">Here</a>, though 2021 registration wasn't live at the time of writing</p><p>Grace Hopper might be the best-known conference for women in tech. Through keynote presentations, networking sessions, job fairs, and community-building activities, vGHC reached over 30,000 women for their 2020 conference and are expecting even more in 2021! While not a conference focused exclusively on diversity and inclusion, many speakers plan to focus their talks on creating environments for women to thrive in the male-dominated tech field.</p>Inclusion 2021
<p><strong>When:</strong> October 25-27, 2021</p><p><strong>Where:</strong> Virtual and in person in Austin, Texas as of now</p><p><strong>Price to register:</strong> Hasn't yet been announced</p><p><strong>Where to register: </strong><a href="https://conferences.shrm.org/inclusion" target="_blank">Here</a>, though 2021 registration wasn't live at the time of writing</p><p>The Society for Human Resource Management's biggest conference of the year saw 1,200 DEI leaders participate last year; SHRM hopes to see even more come to learn, be inspired, and to walk away with a playbook of implementable strategies to create truly inclusive workplace cultures.</p>AfroTech 2021
<p><strong></strong><strong>When:</strong> November 8-13, 2021</p><p><strong>Where:</strong> Virtual</p><p><strong>Price to register:</strong> Early bird pricing is $149 for individuals and $249 for corporate attendees; regular pricing hasn't yet been announced</p><p><strong>Where to register:</strong> <a href="https://experience.afrotech.com/" target="_blank">Here</a></p><p>AfroTech is a conference hosted by Blavity, a tech media platform for Black millennials. It focuses on emerging tech trends, connecting Black talent with top tech recruiters, and providing networking and educational opportunities, with an overall goal of building a strong Black tech community. Over 10,000 people participated in 2020. While the conference isn't focused specifically on DEI, its main audience of Black tech talent is an important one to understand and to engage at work and beyond, and several speakers plan to focus on issues of race and inclusion at work. </p>Finding Her Sport: Being Part of the Team in a Startup Environment
A Conversation with Vouch's Lead Designer Carrie Phillips