Welcome to season 2 of Baby Steps. Where we work has the power to make the pursuit of parenthood smoother, more challenging, or in some cases, possible at all. This season, we talk to HR leaders, fertility advocates, and individuals who have pursued parenthood about the myriad ways the workplace shapes employees' family-forming experiences — and how to create a better environment for everyone.
[00:00:00] Nancy: Maybe you've seen those articles about people taking on a second job at night to cover the cost of IVF. Or the viral campaign on LinkedIn, "show us your leave," where employees and companies got more transparent about parental leave policies. These are just a few signs that employees and job seekers are looking for more from their employers these days.
[00:00:21] They want support for their goals outside of work, and fertility and family forming are a big part of that. The problem is that journeys like fertility treatments, donor-assisted reproduction, and adoption have largely been left out of traditional health insurance policies and benefits packages. Here's the good news.
[00:00:39] This is finally starting to change. And we want to share that with you. But what does it really mean to provide fertility support? Who's looking for it? And what does it look like in practice to support these sensitive, personal, and complicated journeys? Welcome to Baby steps, a podcast from Carrot Fertility about the intersection of work and fertility health.[00:01:00]
[00:01:00] I'm your host, Nancy Ryerson, and I'm a content marketer here at Carrot Fertility. And that means I love hearing and sharing stories. In this season of Baby Steps, we'll share stories from HR leaders, fertility advocates, and people who have gone on family forming journeys themselves. Like Aden, who changed jobs when she realized her company's benefits weren't going to support her goal becoming a single intending parent.
[00:01:23] Aden: I was pretty shocked to find out what is covered by your normal health insurance. But it's really the extent of what is not covered is probably more accurate
[00:01:34] Nancy: Or Julie, a benefits manager at Momentive who shares the challenges of finding global benefits that work for everybody.
[00:01:41] Julie: It wasn't something I ever really thought much about, to be honest with you. How does a single mom look to start a family or a same-sex couple or a couple that has tried fertility treatments, but it's just, it's not working. How can we support that?
[00:01:55] Nancy: Or Emma, a fertility at work advocate who shares tips on what not to say to someone going [00:02:00] through a fertility journey
[00:02:01] Emma: Three things that employers shouldn't do. are make assumptions, be judgmental and try and fix
[00:02:09] Nancy: Family forming and fertility can be more complicated than most people realize until you're the one going through it or supporting someone who is. After hearing this season's conversations. you'll walk away with a deeper understanding of what supportive fertility benefits look like and how they help create a better workplace.
[00:02:26] I think you'll have a different perspective on what fertility means and looks like, too. To get an alert when new episodes publish, subscribe to Baby Steps on apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Talk to you soon.
