PricewaterhouseCoopers Canada is supporting employees with enhanced family-building benefits.
The enhanced benefits, provided by Sun Life Financial Inc., include coverage for procedures and drugs related to fertility; lab services, testing and other surrogate medical expenses; prenatal fitness classes, vitamins and other expenses related to surrogate wellness; as well as agency fees and other expenses related to the adoption process.
PwC was already offering surrogacy benefits through Sun Life as part of a family benefits pilot program, says Lisa Rosen, benefits, pension and well-being leader at PwC Canada. She notes the company has also enhanced its parental leave top-up for all parents. “A benefit of being part of a pilot is you get to make recommendations on the ground, you get to be part of the program design, which was really exciting.”
Read: Q&A with PwC Canada’s Lisa Rosen
Employee response to the program has been positive, with several workers already making use of these benefits to expand their families, she adds. “It’s very expensive to use a surrogate and can be a stressful process, so having access to the benefits and that financial support can make the difference between families either starting a family or, in some cases, having a second child.”
The enhanced benefits are also supporting PwC’s diversity, equity and inclusion strategies, as well as employee attraction and retention efforts.
“People want to work for a company where their values align,” says Rosen. “Even if [someone doesn’t personally] need assistance to build their family, their colleague across the room might and I think people want to work for an organization where they can look around and feel like everyone has the same opportunity.”
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