Tech giants Apple and Facebook continue to attract would-be employees not only for the prestige to work in the company and lead of the likes of Mark Zuckerberg but also for the employee benefits that are often superior than what's offered by regular companies.
Their new perk, however, is destined to bring in a rare bunch of talent: tech women. These two IT companies, it turns out, are willing to spend several thousands of dollars to help them freeze their eggs for later use.
Facebook is the first company that is going to pay for the preservation of eggs and storage, a move that is controversial yet lauded by many women and couples. After all, the procedure alone isn't cheap, costing between $10,000 and $20,000, with around half a thousand dollars annually as storage costs. By January, Apple will follow suit.
But what's the logic behind this? Many tech pundits believe that it has something to do with talent: these companies don't want to lose their prized possession as women try to juggle between the need of becoming a parent and building a career, or focusing on health problems that may be affecting her fertility.
According to Apple, they believe that with this kind of benefit, their women employees will have more time to focus on bringing their best work while caring for themselves and loved ones.
Women will also have more flexibility in their options. Those who wish to have a child but delay having one can choose to freeze their eggs until they are prepared to be mothers.
Aside from this new benefit, these companies are also showering their employees with other parent-related benefits. Facebook, for example, extends their parental leave with pay up to 4 months for both moms and dads. Apple, meanwhile, reimburses certain expenses that a parent had incurred when adopting a child.
It's unclear whether other large IT firms are going to follow this example, but surely, they are setting precedent.
