Equality is a core value at Salesforce. That’s why when U.S.-based employees received access to fertility benefits through their insurance plan, the global benefits team wanted to ensure non-U.S. employees could get support, too. They started by launching a pilot program in two countries. But their initial solution — handling fertility care reimbursements in-house — proved to be a significant challenge. The HR team audited claims, answered specific questions about fertility care, and even fielded calls from local hospitals when patients had questions about what care was reimbursable.
“Employees would reach out to us and say, am I eligible for this or that? But there’s a lot of medical terminology we don’t know, so it was hard for us to say yes or no,” said Motoharu (Moto) Miyazaki, Director, Compensation & Benefits, at Salesforce.
In order to provide better support for employees and scale their fertility support outside of the U.S., the team decided it was time to take a different approach.
“Our in-house system was too hectic and took a lot of time and effort,” said Moto. “We decided we needed to have this outsourced to an expert.”
That’s where Carrot came in.
"We chose Carrot, and it’s been a game changer. You’re experts. There are Carrot-approved fertility clinics, and it’s a super straight line for employees to get reimbursed. It’s like night and day.”
Salesforce has employees in more than 30 countries across Asia, Europe, and South America. Rules and regulations related to fertility care vary widely worldwide, so finding a benefit provider with true expert knowledge of each country where Salesforce employees lived was crucial, in addition to ensuring employees had access to vetted care in their area.
Based on their experience administering their fertility benefit in-house, they also knew they needed to find a vendor with significant knowledge of all fertility and family-forming journeys.
“We would get someone asking about something like massage services, and we wouldn’t know whether that should be covered or not,” said Moto. “It was really challenging for us to audit without being experts in fertility care.”
The breadth of Carrot’s expert support and global reach immediately stood out to the search team. Carrot members have unlimited virtual access to experts across 5,000+ areas, including reproductive endocrinology, urology, nutrition, and emotional support. Wherever members are in the world, Carrot care navigators provide personalized guidance, including on relevant local rules and regulations. When members are ready to find in-person care, they can search 10,000+ vetted providers, agencies, and attorneys through an easy-to-use online tool. And because Carrot is available in more than 130 countries, the Salesforce team knew all of their global employees would be able to use the benefit.
“We chose Carrot, and it’s been a game changer,” said Moto. “You’re experts. There are Carrot-approved fertility clinics, and it’s a super straight line for employees to get reimbursed. It’s like night and day.”
Since launching Carrot, the Salesforce HR team has regularly promoted the benefit to employees, starting during the interview process.
“People outside the U.S. don’t necessarily ask about fertility benefits, but recruiters do sell it,” said Moto. “It’s a point of differentiation because it’s not really that prevalent outside the U.S.”
When making offers to new talent, the team includes Carrot in materials featuring key benefits at Salesforce. Fertility benefits are also part of employee onboarding and are easy to search for within the company’s intranet. The company has seen strong engagement by ensuring Salesforce employees are aware of all the ways Carrot can support them. As of this writing:
Best of all, Moto regularly hears from employees who have used Carrot to grow their families, including LGBTQ+ couples and employees navigating cross-border journeys. For members of the LGBTQ+ community, accessing local resources isn’t always possible. Carrot care navigators help guide members through their options, which may include seeking cross-border care. Moto noted that seeking care in other countries can be costly, which is one reason Salesforce is proud to offer a generous financial benefit to help employees meet their fertility and family-forming goals.
“By offering a fertility benefit with a significant DEI lens, we’re able to support these journeys,” said Moto. “Carrot really aligns with our values and our value-driven decision-making.”
In addition to supporting members of the LGBTQ+ community, Moto also said he appreciates Carrot’s ongoing innovations to reach even more employees, such as through Carrot’s menopause and low testosterone support.
“The flexibility and continuous innovation that the Carrot team provides are key differentiators,” said Moto. “If you’re considering fertility benefits, it’s something you can’t really build in-house. You should ask the professionals to do it right. And you should definitely consider Carrot.”
