In the hope of supporting and nurturing employees who want to grow their families, more than 2 in 5 employers (41%) currently offer, or plan to offer, fertility benefits to their workers in the next year, according to a recent study.

Research commissioned by virtual healthcare provider Maven Clinic sheds light on how companies around the world are prioritising fertility and family benefits for their employees.

How top employers offer fertility and family healthcare coverage

Most fertility and family healthcare benefits adopted by top employers include egg, embryo, and sperm freezing and storage, artificial insemination, and semen analysis, as well as support for surrogacy and adoption.

Companies like Apple and Coinbase provide workers with up to US$20,000 worth of fertility support, while consulting firm BCG offers unlimited fertility benefits. Meta covers up to $100,000 in IVF treatments and offers $20,000 for surrogacy. Tesla, meanwhile, is said to offer unlimited coverage of IVF costs.

For US telecommunications company AT&T, having fertility and family healthcare coverage allows them to support the needs of their staff.

“Just as every family looks different, every path to creating that family looks different too,” said Stacey Marx, Head of Global Benefits at AT&T.

Providing fertility and family benefits to workers

Of those surveyed by Maven Clinic, 75% of employers said providing their staff with reproductive health benefits is crucial to retaining them. Meanwhile, 57% of employees said they have taken, or are looking to take, a job because the company offers family or reproductive health benefits.

Employers are focused on giving their workers fertility care, with 41% claiming that they either already provide fertility coverage or are planning to have one in the next year.

“In today’s ever-changing landscape of HR demands, family benefits are a north star for wise employers seeking return-on-investment. More and more employees are demanding fertility support, and employers are listening,” said Kate Ryder, Founder and CEO of Maven Clinic.

Choosing the best benefits

When choosing the right fertility and family benefits program for their staff, business leaders would rather go with proven platforms rather than point solutions.

Nearly 4 in 5 surveyed employers in the US (79%), for example, have expressed concern about the increasing costs of healthcare. Because of this, they prefer designing their own women’s health and family health benefits strategy to get the most out of them. Of these, 38% said they are consolidating benefits vendors, while 32% said they are removing benefits that do not have enough adoption rates.

Prioritising reproductive health benefits

The study also showed how important reproductive health benefits are especially for younger workers.

As much as 46% of Gen Zers and 35% of Millennials said their choice to stay or leave their current employers depends on whether they have reproductive and family health benefits. They believe that fertility support for all genders should be a top priority when it comes to benefits offered.

The advantages of having virtual care

With more businesses requiring staff to return to the office, having the option of virtual care benefits can support employers and employees alike.

Most workers (91%) said they have been told to work in the office during certain days of the week. However, some employees (60%) believe having access to virtual healthcare can make office-based work much easier for them.

The company surveyed more than 1,200 HR leaders and 3,000 full-time employees across the UK. and the US, as part of its annual State of Women's & Family Health Benefits report.