'Each country is unique legally and culturally,' says GM and managing director, offering tips for HR
Earlier this year, science and technology company Merck announced the expansion of its fertility benefit to employees in Asia, Australia, Europe and Latin America.
The program provides financial support to employees and their partners to cover the costs of fertility services; it was first introduced to nine markets in 2023 and has since grown to 20 markets.
The program offers an allowance of $24,000 that eligible employees can use throughout their lifetime with Merck, Josie Downey, General Manager and Managing Director Merck Healthcare ANZ, told HRD Asia.
“They don't necessarily have to take the whole lot at once,” she said. “They can claim in different years, they can claim different treatments; anything up to that amount.
“The benefit is intentionally inclusive. It applies not only to our Merck permanent employees irrespective of their marital status, sexual orientation but it’s also open to their partners. And there are quite a range of services that are available to individuals such as fertility tests, in vitro fertilisation treatments, hormonal treatments, and other treatments.”
Rolling out fertility program in Asia
In Asia, the fertility benefit program has been released for employees in China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea.
“We do plan to expand to all countries where we have operations in Asia in future,” Downey said. “Globally, we plan to cover all the countries where we do have a presence.”
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She highlighted how each country has its own complexities, both legally and culturally, and the company’s benefit have to comply with local regulations.
“Our intention is to offer this benefit to all employees uniformly — irrespective of their gender, marital status, family type,” she said. “But we’re also conscious that we need to comply with the local regulations of each country. It does take some time to understand what is acceptable, what is legal, what is culturally acceptable within countries.
“Underpinning that, we do also understand that the decision to have a child is intensely personal. And we do work with the local teams in each of the countries to support the launch of the fertility benefit in a way that supports people and fosters that culture of inclusion and wellbeing in each country. So the programs do vary depending on the local legislation as well as the cultural acceptability.”
Supporting people ‘on their fertility journey’
When asked why Merck decided to launch the program, Downey highlighted that around one in six people face infertility globally and there’s significant need for support amid the backdrop of decreasing fertility rates.
“Currently, Australia is at below 1.6,” Downey said. “And there are many countries in the world that are facing a significant drop in fertility rates and it's creating significant issues. If you look at countries like Japan, Italy, South Korea, these are great examples of countries that are struggling with local population decline.
“It's not about increasing population but rather what we're finding is that as people are waiting longer and longer to make the decision to have children or have the opportunity to have children, it gets more and more difficult.”
Downey added that as a long-time leader in fertility, Merck understands the emotional and financial burden that infertility can have.
“And we know that employees are really feeling the pressure of the rising cost of living as well,” she said. “The cost of also being a working parent, supporting people on their fertility journey, irrespective of the of their marital status, their gender is really important to us. To be able to support people to live their best life, to bring their best selves to work and be able to have a satisfying, personal and work life.
“It's really about fostering a culture of inclusion, prioritising wellbeing of people, providing financial and emotional support for our employees through their fertility journey, and creating a really family friendly workplace that supports our employees at every stage.”
Promoting wellbeing
In Australia, the benefit is part of a bigger package of benefits that Merck offers including parental leave, personal and carer leave, compassionate leave, charity leave and family and domestic violence leave.
“We also provide an additional three-and-a-half days at the end of the year, as well as ‘Me Days’, which really aim to ensure that people are taking sufficient breaks from work,” she said. “It’s really focused on wellbeing. We incentivise people for actively maintaining their annual leave balance for less than 20 days by providing an extra leave day every quarter. So it's an incentive to take leave, refresh, enjoy holidays and bring your best self to work.”
While the fertility benefit program was only expanded recently, Downey has seen a positive response so far.
“Although it's early days, we’re yet to see the number of employees that will access the program,” she said. “But certainly the response has been absolutely positive. And I think it is something to celebrate. I'm very, very proud of the program and proud to be working in an organisation that has been so generous with supporting families and wellbeing.”
Advice for HR with fertility benefits
For HR teams looking to launch a program such as the fertility benefit in an international market, Downey emphasised the importance of understanding the needs of your employees.
“Every company and business is unique and understanding the needs of your employees goes a long way,” she said. “And then each country is unique legally and culturally; there are significant differences across countries. So you've got to ensure that the basic design principles are met.”
Downey believes it helps to have a standardised program so that you remain true to your initial intent of the program, but to be flexible with the needs of each country to align with their cultural and legal differences.
“As I've said, benefits such as fertility are extremely sensitive and can be a private matter in many countries,” she added. “So creating processes that cater to confidentiality is really important and ensuring that people feel safe and supported.”