When Maria Elena Morales was five months pregnant, she interviewed for a new role at Vertex Pharmaceuticals: Chief of Staff to the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO). “I debated whether to disclose my pregnancy during the interview process and ultimately decided to share the news to make sure that I was as transparent as possible before a decision was made,” she says. That decision was personal—and made of her own accord—but disclosing the news still made her nervous. Like so many people who navigate job interviews and pregnancy, she didn’t know how her need for leave so soon would be received.
Vertex’s family-focused culture rose to the occasion. “I could not have been more impressed with the response,” Morales says. “Everyone on the team, including our CSO, was effusively positive and supportive. I went out on maternity leave less than two months into the role, and the team came together to support me before I left, to cover my responsibilities while I was out, and to enable my transition upon my return.”
Based on that overwhelming response, it’s no surprise that Vertex, one of InHerSight’s 20 Best Pharmaceuticals Companies to Work For, shines for InHerSight’s The People You Work With metric. At 4.6 stars, it’s one of the company’s top indicators that people here experience a respectful and supportive culture. That, paired with substantial and above-and-beyond family benefits, makes the global biotech company a head-turner for working parents or parents-to-be like Morales.
Vertex also offers inclusive family-forming benefits such as generous reimbursements for adoption and surrogacy, egg cryopreservation to preserve future fertility, donor egg/sperm, reciprocal IVF, and fertility treatments. In addition, Vertex offers healthy pregnancy programs, 100 percent paid Bonding Leave, breast milk shipping, doula reimbursement, subsidized childcare, a match on the dependent care Flexible Spending Account, and caregiving reimbursements for business travel.
We spoke to two U.S.-based parents working at the company, Morales and Marcus Kernizan, to find out which benefits have impacted them the most and how Vertex’s culture helps them balance work and life.
Here’s what they have to say about being a working parent at Vertex, in their own words.
Vertex has a variety of benefits for parents and growing families. Which one has been most meaningful to you?
Marcus Kernizan, Associate Director, Digital Commercial Systems, Hematology: “The most meaningful benefit would be the Premium Membership plan for Care.com. With this membership, I can book a backup (emergency) caregiver to help with my son in the event he cannot go to daycare. This is a huge support for my family because without it, one of us would have to miss a day from work to provide coverage. In addition to the backup care benefit, I also receive a monthly daycare discount because of the membership.”
Maria Elena Morales, Executive Director, Project Management and Strategic Operations: “Most recently, the Dependent Care FSA has proven beneficial. I like the tax benefit and the company contribution—with the price of day care, every little bit helps. Our two daughters were both born during my time at Vertex, and my wife and I have appreciated the quality of our health coverage with respect to fertility care. Compared to friends who have also navigated the fertility process, we were able to advance more directly to the approaches with higher success rates, and we did so with better coverage along the way. In addition to the health and dependent care benefits, the amount of vacation time at Vertex has been key for us as we’ve had to deal with frequent daycare-related toddler illnesses.”
Beyond benefits, what aspects of Vertex’s culture support working parents and growing families?
Marcus: “Vertex is a family-friendly company. Most of my coworkers have kids, and we all understand the responsibilities that come with being a parent. My team was super supportive when I announced that we were expecting our child. My colleagues threw a small baby shower where they gave me baby essentials, which I was very appreciative of. One coworker even gave me their smart bassinet.”
Maria Elena: “Vertex is a very family-friendly place to work. There’s an incredible support community in Parents@Vertex that I can turn to to get answers to any parenting questions. There’s flexibility in our work schedules to accommodate parenting commitments like doctors’ appointments and school pickup.
Memorably, when I took my current role, we had just learned that my wife was pregnant. Our second daughter’s due date landed right in the middle of our technology budget process. At Vertex, while we have 12 weeks of Bonding Leave available for both primary and secondary parents, I decided to take it at a later date and use vacation time instead, because that is what worked for our family.
I was overwhelmed by the support from my team—my direct reports, my peers, and my manager. The team came together to deliver an important process during my absence, and then three weeks after the baby arrived, the unexpected happened: Our family was hit with RSV and our newborn baby ended up in the ICU for a week. Both my team and my manager didn’t hesitate to tell me to focus on my family. Everyone went above and beyond to support me when I needed it most.
Also, the company offers benefits that bring our whole family together, like museum passes that we use all the time, especially for the Institute of Contemporary Art and the Museum of Science [in Boston]. The company also hosts family days, and it is an incredible treat for the entire family.”
Did parenting benefits factor into your decision to work at the company?
Marcus: “Not initially, because when I joined Vertex in my late 20’s, starting a family was not a high priority for me. However, now that I have a family, I would say that the parenting benefits play a big factor in me staying at Vertex. I was able to take my full paternity leave, get help with finding a daycare that was affordable, and maintain work and life by booking extra care when needed. Occasionally, I find out about more benefits that Vertex offers, like a company match for dependent care flexible spending accounts.
Maria Elena: “Parental benefits did not factor in my decision to work at Vertex, but that’s more a reflection of where I was in my life when I interviewed. If I were to look now, the benefits would be an absolute must-have.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals is a global biotechnology company that invests in scientific innovation to create transformative medicines for people with serious diseases—most notably those that treat the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis (CF), a rare, life-threatening genetic disease. They’re rated most highly for Support for Diversity, Sense of Belonging, and Paid Time Off. Plus, 100% of raters say they feel they were paid fairly from the start. Explore Vertex’s benefits and culture now!
