(Disclosure: Rose Law Group represents Taylor Morrison.)
By Simone Strong | Builder
In the U.S., about one in five women are unable to get pregnant after one year of trying, while about one in four women in this group have difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to term, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Builders may be in the business of building homes, but homeowners—including company employees—dream of building homes for their growing families. For the many people across the country struggling with infertility, both dreams at points may seem out of reach.
In an effort to help those individuals, national builder Taylor Morrison recently elected to take its family-forming employee benefits a step further by offering fertility treatments and surrogacy allowances.
Team members enrolled in any of the company’s medical plans are now eligible for up to $20,000 in fertility benefits covering a range of treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), intrauterine insemination, fertility testing, and restorative treatments. The builder is also newly introducing financial support for surrogacy assistance.
These fertility benefits are in addition to the company’s established paid parental leave and adoption assistance.
To hear more about the new benefits, BUILDER spoke with Sheryl Palmer, chairman and CEO. See her responses below that explain the thought behind the idea, the execution, and employee response.
BUILDER: What is the company’s current paid parental leave and adoption assistance policies?
Palmer: Taylor Morrison provides two weeks of paid parental leave to team members following the birth or adoption of a child. In addition, this leave runs concurrently with Family and Medical Leave Act leave, for up to 12 weeks. Taylor Morrison’s Adoption Assistance Program provides up to $4,000 to assist team members in covering the cost of adopting a child.
BUILDER: Why was it important for Taylor Morrison to expand its benefits to include fertility and surrogacy options?
Palmer: The journey to parenthood oftentimes isn’t linear or without trials. There is also a magnitude of diversity when it comes to the different ways families are built, including people struggling with infertility and those who become parents later in life, to single parents and LGBTQ+ couples. At Taylor Morrison, we always put our team members first, including their health and wellness. We continually reevaluate our team members’ benefits to ensure we’re providing the options they desire most that will positively impact their lives.
As an organization committed to advancing our evolving diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging strategy and one consistently ranked within Bloomberg’s Gender Equality Index, Taylor Morrison is proud to play a role supporting team members wanting or needing to explore options such as IVF, surrogacy, or adoption. By offering additional assistance for team members, we hope to alleviate some of the associated stress and financial burden that comes with building a family through these avenues.
